Proof the law isn't always right, wrongfully accused

Re: Proof the law isn't always right, wrongfully accused


As far as the law goes, i've been rather fortunate to not ever be found at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Of course, i've been accused by others of doing that which I hadn't the pleasure of committing. Care to share your friend's predicament?

Something tells me there's more to this story, Issy. Wanna share?

Ok, so my friend gets a call from his friend saying I just got a new truck, wanna go for a ride... my friends says sure and the other guy picks him up...

He lets my friend test out the driving of the truck and when my friend drives by a police officer his friend tells him the truck he is driving is stolen... blah blah... so he drove down a side street and got out of the truck saying he wanted nothing to do with this and was going to walk home.... then he turns around to see the truck explode as the other guy lite it on fire... it made a very large scene of people and of course produced witnesses to see them walking away from the scene... yada yada... so the other two boys that were in the truck (the ones that stole it) went straight to the police and pinned it all of my friend (who had no clue the truck was stolen until he was driving it like a typical guy wanting to test out his friends "ride")

So now the courts decided to put him away and only him...

Jail for 6 months to 2 and a half year - that's seems to mean he was not only at the wrong place at the wrong time but did the wrong thing, too.

I remember just now one probant from my time in the probation service:
he had two years prison released on licence (summed up from three different convictions).
He was doing quite fine, got a new job, worked (for the first time in his life, I think) .... and his past has finally caught up with him: just shortly before his third conviction he kept a lookout for a murder. (Okay, he thaught, it was 'just' a robbery and some 'private discussion' ....)
4½ years.

Perhaps a bit of skepticism would be practical. It is not unusual for someone who is truly guilty to lie to his friends and family members and pretend to be the victim of a wrongful conviction.

You lost me at turning around to see the truck explode.

Known him for years, he has been in worse predicaments and told the truth... he is not lying at all

Thre was this time in Reno when I shot a man just to see him die but I told my ma I just wanted his boots and he refused so I had to shoot him.

Did you get the boots?

of course I got the boots, you think I would have shot him just to see him die? You are a silly goose.

Once upon a time a 14 year old girl had a boyfriend who hung out with people who sold drugs. She wasn't involved in the selling or using, but the boyfriend was involved with both. He and 4 or 5 other folks shared an apartment. One day a woman came to the door and stared at the girl through the screen door saying she was looking for her runaway daughter and the police had told her someone matching the description was hanging out at this particular apartment. The daughter looked similar to the 14 year old girl and the mother went away.

The 14 year old girl was smart enough to get the message that the apartment was being watched and the police knew something about her. This was during an era when simple possession meant jail time and selling meant long-term prison. The girl started visiting the apartment less often. A few weeks later the boyfriend decided to return to his home in Seattle so the girl had no further reason to visit the place. Less than a week later the apartment was raided, everyone present was arrested and all received significant jail time.

The moral of the story? Sometimes it matters a great deal who your friends are.

which is one reason I have no friends.

I agree that that must happen a lot, Debra, given the propensity of people to lie - they have great role models in their politicians.

But I also think that there is a strong tendency upon the part of prosecutors to blindly seek convictions, especially as the seriousness grows. Convictions make or break careers, notorious ones even more so.

Railroading the young, the diadvantaged, and minorities have all been great sport for generations of police and prosecutors, not all for sure, but too damn many.

And even when there seems to be a great deal of doubt, the prosecuting side seems to stick to their guns with a tenacity that does not do justice justice.