OCCOM FOOLISHNESS Strikes again! New Restaurant opening soon

Bill, that was quite a story and I will have to admit that you are one lucky bastard for escaping with such minimal consequences, but I am at a disadvantage here because I am not familiar with the particulars involved.

Did you get drunk and beat someone up?

I await your reply or, at the very least, would you be kind enough to steer me to the thread (or if on this thread, the appropriate page) so that I may peruse the details and catch myself up in this rather sordid and mysterious affair.

Foxfyre- You have a better idea than mine. Another way is to get on your hands and knees and scrub a floor with a scrub brush, hard. Helps the endorphins kick in, and you end up with a clean floor!

Phoenix32890 wrote:

Foxfyre- You have a better idea than mine. Another way is to get on your hands and knees and scrub a floor with a scrub brush, hard. Helps the endorphins kick in, and you end up with a clean floor!

Phoenix -- if that's your thing, you can come to Munich and scrub my floor anytime. With things like this, I'm always happy to help.

Glad everything turned out ok, Bill.

Do I see in the future two a2k poker players from Costa Rica?

btw, I've seen some info on housing there. Your money stretches quite far.

Good luck, kid.

Thanks for the answer, Bill, and good luck with your future endeavors. I have heard that cheeseheads are not welcome in Costa Rica, so you may have to change your allegiance to a more tolerable football team.

May I suggest the Lions?

good ending towhat could have been a bad scene. My only admonition is consider the option of being a better monitor of your drinking talents.
BTW-what did the guy who pounded you get out of this?

While I don't condone non-lawyers representing themselves in court (not because it's a dumb idea, but because it takes money out of the pockets of some hard-working fellow attorney), I cannot help but be impressed by the results. Sometimes honesty is indeed the best policy, although I would always recommend having a back-up strategy in place.

Criminal Complaint

In lieu of a defense for that which is indefensible, the defendant respectfully asks the Court only that the following be considered before sentencing.

My name is Bill, and I thank you for taking a moment to consider the following. I have no excuse for my behavior on Friday, November 24th, 2006. I will offer no lie, excuse, nor deny my guilt in any way. As a youngster I was foolish enough to get involved in criminal activity and have spent my entire life since, trying to put it behind me. It's been nearly two decades since I was that idiotic boy, and now I'm guilty of idiocy once again. There can be no doubt that I deserve whatever you have in store for me. Before you make that decision, however, I'd like to tell you a little bit about me.

I've labored the last two years tirelessly in the restaurant business hoping beyond hope we'd succeed. We didn't. Both the Cedarburg Bistro and the Harbor City Bistro failed… and my last ditch effort was to save the Bar business at the latter. On November 24th, I forfeited any chance of that being realized, too. I had already lost everything else, including the love of my life, who coincidentally decided to leave me when the restaurants fell apart.

On Thanksgiving, I was feeling pretty down on my luck, lonely, and decided what the hell: One night of partying with my regulars wouldn't kill me. I reasoned (for lack of a better, more appropriate word) that getting drunk with the other lonely folks, just this once, couldn't hurt. I couldn't have been more wrong. Despite running two Restaurants with full liquor, I've never been prone to drinking to excess. Doubling as security for the Harbor City Bistro; I never let anyone (let alone me) get too belligerent in the establishment, nor even once let a fight take place there. Not on my watch. So, here I am on Thanksgiving getting drunk with the regular lonely souls after realizing that little in my life was viable. To be honest; one night's letting loose seemed almost appropriate, all things considered.

Well, predictably I suppose when someone abandons principle; I over did it. Bad. Like most people, I turn the corner of drunkenness at just a little above the legal limit for driving. Knowing the bar business like the back of my hand, I can tell you I passed that point while drinking shots (which I seldom do) and having lots of fun for the first time in what felt like forever. Here's where things get a little bleary: my memory of the rest of the night is fragmented badly on account of the copious amounts of alcohol I consumed. I ended up partying all night long with people who are accustomed to doing so. Next thing I remember, I'm sitting at another bar sometime after 6 in the morning the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 24th. I have vague recollections of seeing regulars who continued to feed me shots, thinking it hilarious to see me, of all people, in this condition (I've arranged for rides for some of these people in similar conditions more times than I can count).

Round about noon, I remember briefly coming too, for what alcoholics must refer to as "a moment of clarity." Realizing I was doing my reputation irreparable damage, and knowing that I needed to get some sleep, I arranged for a ride home. This is the last memory I have of any kind before waking up handcuffed to a hospital bed.

Here, I was informed that I had attacked a stranger, unprovoked. Shocked, I remember saying something to the effect; "that's crazy, why would I do such a thing? (In 38 years on planet earth, I have NEVER been a violent person). The officer looked me in the eye and said "I don't know, but it's on video tape and your blood alcohol level is well over .3 (which certainly explained why I was in the hospital). Shortly thereafter, I was moved to the jail until morning. They told me the next day when they released me on bond; that I'd better not drive because I was still well over the legal limit.

Humiliated and disgusted with myself, I cleaned up and endeavored to figure out the extent of the damage I had done. I asked all around and apologized to pretty much everyone I ran into. It seems that instead of going to bed after leaving that last bar, I continued to drink and make a total idiot of myself, both at my place and the bar across the street. It took days to track down everyone I owed an apology to, but it was work that had to be done. Surprisingly, to a man, everyone was uncommonly forgiving; including the Gas Station attendant, Steve, and the victim, Joe. Both told me to forget it and that we've all been there (which of course, isn't true). Both told me they had no desire to press charges, and Joe even joked that he thought kicking my butt should be punishment enough. He said he "swatted me a good one" and indeed, I had the black eye to prove it. He assured me he was completely unharmed and accepted my repeated apology as if it was unnecessary, but of course, it was.

I honestly can't tell you why I did what I did to Joe. The best I can do is rely on witness's speculation. The running assumption is that in my drunken state; I mistook Joe, who is of similar look and stature to, a fellow who'd been stalking one of my friends/employees and has a history of such. I was told I had arguments with her and him earlier in the day (while still behaving like a complete idiot). To me too, this is the most plausible theory because, though I despise bullies, I am not prone to violence, so my behavior is largely inexplicable. Well, now you know as much as I do about the evening in question. I regret that I have no more to share.

Now that I have lost everything, am on the verge of bankruptcy, and have thoroughly destroyed my reputation in this town, I am looking forward beginning the next chapter in my life. I have since secured work as a marketing consultant with an International company headquartered in Costa Rica. If I am somehow able to put this disaster behind me in short order, I will be relocating in the next couple of months. As much as I hate the idea of serving jail time, in this exact instance extended probation would be even worse. I assure you; I pose no threat of recidivism as I am at least as appalled by my actions as you could be. Though I've never exhibited signs of alcoholism before, I will never consume hard alcohol again. I can't change what I've done; but I can damn sure take steps to insure that it never happens again.

I've been through alcohol assessment and it was determined that I have no such problems. I offer none of the above as any kind of excuse, as I don't believe there is a reasonable excuse for my behavior. I would ask the court to consider that I have already lost my livelihood; the love of my life, my reputation in Port Washington, any hope of obtaining a license to continue to do business here, spent a night in jail, and got my butt thoroughly kicked to boot.

I will accept whatever sentence I am given, with as much dignity as I can muster, knowing full well I am guilty. I would further ask the court to consider that I have never behaved in such a fashion before and accept my word that I will never behave in such a fashion again. I deeply regret my deplorable decisions leading up to this idiocy and ask you to believe me when I tell you that I am not the idiot I was on November 24, 2006. My name is Bill and you are, of course, free to do with me what you will.

Remorsefully,


Bill.

OBill, When you move down there, don't forget to leave us your address (both mailing and email) and telephone number(s) - just in case we want to visit you! I wouldn't mind another tirp to Costa Rica in a few years; I love that country too, and I know what you mean about the People. Pura vida!