John Sez: I profiled this story a little ways back. A Maricopa sheriff rifled through a defense attorney’s paperwork (while her back was turned and she was addressing the Judge); he then removed a document, hands it off to another sheriff (who quickly scuttles away, apparently to make a photocopy) while the defense attorney is trying to let the Judge know what the officer had done. Then the second sheriff replaces the document (again, while the attorney’s back is turned). One might think the story fantastic, but it was all caught on the courts camera (see previous post on this story for the video).

The officer has now been given the following sentence: apologize or go to jail. This is an incredible light sentence; if this fellow was anything other than a cop he would have been immediately jailed for contempt (among other things).

To make matters worse, the sheriff’s boss (the infamous Joe Arpiao) has stated that his officer will not comply with the court order.

Given the reaction of the Judge who’s watch this happened on, the Judge who handed down the sentence, Joe Arpiao, and the officers who were involved, it’s a safe bet that the rule of law, proper protocol, attorney confidentiality privileges, and the Constitution have no place in the legal system of Maricopa County.

Story from Law Scholar Jonathan Turley’s blog:

Court Rules Against Arizona Deputy on Swiping Lawyer’s Note — Arpaio To Defy Court

There has been a ruling in the Arizona case where an officer, Officer Adam Stoddard with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is clearly shown on this videotape reading and then swiping the confidential papers of defense attorney Joanne Cuccia in court. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe found against Stoddard and ordered him to either apologize or report to jail — a remarkably light sentence. However, his boss is Sheriff Joe Arpaio who has said that his officer will defy the order.
Stoddard swiped the papers while defense attorney Joanne Cuccia was addressing the court on behalf of her client, Antonio Lozano. The response of Judge Lisa Flores was remarkably understated and restrained given the horrific breach of confidentiality.

Before Donahoe, Stoddard’s explanation only magnified his misconduct. He claimed that he saw the words “going to,” “steal,” and “money” on a handwritten sheet of paper sticking out of Cuccia’s file, which led him to believe that Lozano posed a security threat. This confirms that he read the document as opposed to a cursory review of material for contraband or weapons. It is also ridiculous that such words would cause an officer to remove confidential notes — written by an attorney — in a criminal case. Most of the attorneys in that courthouse are representing people with records and have notes including such nouns and verbs

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John Sez: I’m so incensed about this story, I ‘m not even sure where to begin. These deputies stepped WAY over the line holding down a child who was scared of getting a shot. It was not their place to do so and it was way beyond their job description.

 Some might say that the kid was over reacting to getting a shot…maybe so. But let me ask: how would YOU feel if 2 armed and uniformed thugs held down YOUR frightened child for a vaccination?

Story from the Intellengencer:


Deputies Hold Boy Who Fled Flu ShotStudent refused; was held down for vaccination

By SHELLEY HANSON Staff Writer

WHEELING - It took the strength of two sheriff's deputies to keep a middle schooler still enough to receive a shot of the swine flu, or H1N1, vaccine at a recent clinic.

During a regular Wheeling-Ohio County Health Board meeting Tuesday, health department Administrator Howard Gamble told board members about the student's attempt to flee Wheeling Middle School during a vaccination clinic held there last Friday.

He noted the boy's mother could not bear to watch the scene and left the gymnasium. Out of apparent fear of receiving the injection, the student ran out of the building. The school's resource officer, Ohio County Sheriff's Deputy John Haglock, coaxed the boy back inside. Once at the shot station, however, Haglock apparently needed some help keeping the boy still, and another deputy assisted.

"He tried to run. I looked over and saw two sheriff's deputies holding a kid down," Gamble said. "Mom took off, she couldn't take it. You had one nurse with the needle, two deputies holding him, one nurse is grabbing hands - because that's what they want to do, to go after the needle. And that's the last thing you want."

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John Sez: Cheers for the voters of Breckenridge, Colorado. Now all we need is for an entire State to fall on this issue, and the rest will follow one by one. Then we can finally be free of the ludicrous, draconian, and overtly corrupted money-making machine known as the ‘war on drugs’.

Story from Raw Story:

Breckenridge, Colorado voters legalize marijuana, paraphernalia

Voters in the ski resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado legalized marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia by a nearly three-to-one margin on Tuesday. It is the first municipality in the United States to allow paraphernalia, such as pipes, bongs and bubblers.

"[The measure] passed 73 percent to 27 percent," ABC 7 News in Denver reported.

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John Sez: Why the two law enforcement officers are still on the job or not in jail is beyond me. And the judge’s attitude is altogether way too mild to my mind as well.

Constitutional law scholar, Jonathan Turley, Had this to say about the matter:

This is one of the most incredible videos that I have seen. In the video, Officer Adam Stoddard with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is clearly shown reading confidential papers of defense attorney Joanne Cuccia while she is addressing the court on behalf of jail inmate Antonio Lozano (accused of fighting with another inmate). He then pulls a sheet from the file on the defense table and gives it to another deputy to be copied.

What is equally amazing is the relatively weak response from Judge Lisa Flores, who could presumably see Stoddard’s actions from the bench. It is possible that she was blocked in her view by counsel. In the video, Lozano appears to be the only person who clearly notices the removal.

When told, however, Flores reacts a bit defensively to objections from Cuccia and tells her repeatedly to calm down, even though Cuccia seems determined but professional in her statements to the court. Flores also immediately offers a justification that Stoddard is there to protect the court — apparently by copying confidential material. Eventually, she suspends the sentencing hearing.

A hearing was later held before Judge Gary Donahoe and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office defended Stoddard, insisting that he must screen all defense documents that are passed to an inmate. He insisted that, when he walked near the defense attorney’s table, he recognized some documents that weren’t previously screened.

It is true that some courts allow deputies to thumb through papers to be certain that they do not contain contraband or weapons, but this is a cursory inspection. It is a somewhat controversial practice but it is so limited that most attorneys are not concerned because the officers do not read the papers. Most courts do not have this practice. While your papers can be inspected at jails in face-to-face meetings, courtrooms are generally not subject to such inspections. After all, most courts have metal detectors at the entrances. Weapon transfers, therefore, are not a serious threat in counsel-to-client interactions in court. That leaves contraband, which is not a justification (in my view) for such intrusion. We have seen lawyers arrested on such charges (here and here), but it is incredibly rare. It is more common to see deputies arrested for contraband rackets than attorneys.

I have never heard of an officer copying a document at a prison or a court in such an inspection. This document was found by Donahoe to be subject to attorney-client privilege. Stoddard is clearly reading the document and proceeds to take it without notifying Cuccia and making a copy. It is a simply amazing violation of constitutional and confidentiality rules. I am surprised not to have seen a strong statement and intervention from the Arizona state bar in the case, but I hope that will be coming this week.

For the full story, click here.

 
 
John Sez: According to a recent dispatch from the FBI, tattoo artists are being asked to report ‘suspicious’ behavior displayed by their patrons. Some of what can be considered ‘suspicious’, and possibly ‘terrorist behavior’, are:

The patron wanting identity privacy

The use of cash over debit or charge cards

Having missing fingers or hands

Making racists comments

Making religious comments

Making anti US remarks (I assume that would be any comments against the government)

Groups of customers who want the same or similar tattoo

Placing a tattoo on one’s body which could make it concealed

Although this is wrapped up in a package which would seem to indicate that the FBI is simply trying to work towards your protection, this is nothing more than some sort of ‘fishing’ expedition proposed, it would seem, to have tattoo artists spy on their customers and to instill in them some sort of fear that every day, ordinary behavior is a possible cover-up for terrorist activity.

Think about how this applies to an ordinary (non-terrorist) person: if you are concerned about your personal privacy, use cash, happen to be missing a finger or limb (my father lost a foot to diabetes, does that make him a terrorist?), talk about religion, mention disagreements you have with the government, or make a racist comment (which is something I think is ignorant, but protected by the 1st amendment), you may be a terrorist. My tattoos, like so many others, are placed so that they can be concealed by work approved clothing – does that make me a terrorist?

Or does that make a US citizen the terrorized?

Story from Prison Planet:

Using Cash Sign Of Terrorist, According To FBI
Feds demand tattoo shops rat on customers

Kurt Nimmo
Prison Planet.com

Are you in the market for a patriotic tattoo, maybe the Gadsden flag? Forget about it. Unless you want the local tattoo artist to inform on you.

The FBI, in league with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (part of the Department of Justice), has launched a program that harks back to East Germany’s Stasi.

In Philadelphia, the FBI has instructed tattoo shops to rat out their customers if they demand privacy, insist on paying with cash, engage in “suspicious behavior,” make “anti-US” comments, or request tattoos that are “extremist symbols.”

READ MORE (the article also contains the FBI document)

 
 
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John Sez: Just a couple of days ago, I wrote about a cop in a special needs school who broke a learning disabled kid’s nose, after slamming him into a wall for not tucking in his shirt. The situation would be bad enough if this was an isolated incidence of violence. Instead, it seems that the cop is also a murderer and rapist.

The cop in question, Christopher Lloyd, is sitting currently in jail on rape charges. Additionally it has come out that he shot his ex-wife’s husband 24 times (in front of their kids, no less), but got off on any charges because Chicago police believe he acted in self-defense.

This seems to me like a disgustingly blatant case of cops protecting one of their own. This animal in human skin shot a man 24 – TWENTY FOUR – times and was set free because he wore a badge at the time. Everyone involved with setting this low life free and anyone who is responsible for allowing this psycho to still carry a gun and a badge needs to be fired, investigated, and brought up on charges as an accessory to the murder, the assault with intent, and the rape. The last two incidences could have been prevented if they actually went after Lloyd when he killed his ex’s husband.

Personal note to anyone involved with protecting Christopher Lloyd, and helping him to retain a job in law enforcement: I don’t know how you can live with yourselves, but I hope the ghosts of what this man has done haunt you all to your grave. May none of you ever have a nightmare-less sleep for the rest of your lives. This blood is on YOUR hands as well as his.

Story from WGN:

Dolton cop in beating case has troubling history

A Dolton cop caught on camera allegedly breaking a 15-year-old special needs student's nose for failing to tuck in his shirt has a troubling history that includes killing a man in a case of disputed self-defense.

The officer is now in an Indiana jail on an unrelated rape charge.

Christopher Lloyd, 38, was identified today by his father, Charles Lloyd, and Dolton Mayor Ronnie Lewis as the officer who in May was videotaped by a school security camera scuffling with 15-year-old, 140-pound Marshawn Pitts at the Academy for Learning in Dolton.

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