Stupid Alibi of the Day

Debbie Bendorf of Louisville is accused of purchasing lottery tickets with someone else's credit card. Her alibi? Someone else purchased the tickets and just gave her a credit card number, not the card itself. "Gee judge, I'm not a thief, I'm just real stupid!"

I wish I had known I could make purchases that way, just carrying my card number around instead of actually showing the card itself. Maybe someday the stores will get real tough and even ask for ID....

http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/5083297/detail.html

I'll bet Judge Ashford wishes he didn't have to recuse himself from this case...

http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/5086352/detail.html

Get Ready for a Whole Slew of Lawrence Phillips Types...

Well, I think we are now learning what kind of a coach Callahan will be. Seems that Le Kevin Smith is going to play on Saturday despite his recent assault of a UNL parking cadet. We're not privy to the discipline being imposed on Le Kevin, but we're assured it's "appropriate."

Seems that Bill isn't really interested in keeping players out of the game regardless of their behavior. While he was the coach of the Oakland Raiders, he let Sabastian Janikowski play after getting pulled over with a BAL of .20. http://www.sports-smack.com/columns2002/stupid.htm. Janikowski had a history of run-ins with the law at that time, including a few involving the date-rape drug GHB and a few involving fights. http://www.cracksmoker.com/NFL/NFL%20JanikowskiS.htm. But hey, he was a great kicker. They needed him on the field, right?

I guess we'll see how Le Kevin turns out, but hopefully someone will keep an eye on these issues....

The city of Omaha is a "Pane" to deal with...

Three years after the city of Omaha "accidently" demolished Frankie Pane's building, the one they so desparately wanted gone, the city is demanding that Frankie remove the remaining part of the building. It appears from the news that Omaha has been playing games with Pane in order to prevent him from rebuilding his bar. I have serious suspicions about the city's motives during all of this.

The article can be found here.

Judges Behaving Badly, part 2?

Bill Gallup seems to think so....
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=1484543&u_rnd=7783806

Of course, there are two sides to this story. We'll have to watch the appeal on this one.

Douglas County Judge Reprimanded

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2005/08/14/news/nebraska/22c89ae121c77bff8625705d000f4532.txt

Sure We Trust You....

Looks like Papillion-LaVista Schools aren't taking any chances...

http://www.theomahachannel.com/education/4796430/detail.html

And Thus It Begins....

The court hearing on the annexation of Elhorn begins Wednesday.

Pedophile Update

It seems that the Nebraska-Kansas pedophile marriage case has prompted Kansas to consider changing its law. http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/12266670.htm. This is good, but I still have to wonder what the mom was thinking that it was better to let her daughter marry a pedophile than to help her daughter raise the baby as a single mother.

On the Meth Watch

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/07/31/local/doc42ec2265d4ac0922666555.txt

Very interesting analysis of the effect of the new meth laws on the prison population in Nebraska.

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Judge-Style"

Nebraska U.S. District Judge F.A. Gossett was mentioned in today's edition of Florida Today. Seems he and another judge just spent two weeks in the former Soviet Republic of Tadjikistan training 22 judges as part of an effort to restore an effective legal system to former USSR countries. Those judges will train other judges. Has the Omaha World-Herald run any sort of story about this?

Red Light Cameras Invade the Heartland

I can't wait for the court cases on these...

File This One Under "How Dumb Can You Be?"

Even if you don't want to stop drinking, don't tell the probation officer that!

Providing for your Pet after Death in Nebraska

What will happen to your dog or cat after you die? Who will take care of them? If you find someone to look after Pooky, can that person afford her upkeep? What if, after discovering the expense involved, that person decides to abandon Rover instead of honoring your wishes? How can you ensure that your 'baby' will be properly provided for, without worrying about the costs to the caregiver?

LexisONE has a great article on setting up a trust fund to care for pets after death. The article discusses, in general terms, issues such as establishment of such a trust, terms of care, and preventing fraud by the caregiver. Here is the link:

http://www.lexisone.com/news/nlibrary/n060005c.html

Nebraska now provides for the creation of trusts for the care of animals. Nebraska Revised Statutes section 30-3834 states that a trust may be created for the care of any animal alive during the lifetime of the person creating the trust. The trust ends upon the death of the animal. If the trust is created for more than one animal, the trust ends upon the death of the last surviving animal.

The article mentions that if the amount used to fund the trust is unreasonable, other persons interested in the property of the deceased may object. The Nebraska law deals with this issue by requiring that to the extent the value of the property in the trust exceeds the amount required for the intended use, the excess must be taken out and distributed to the deceased person's 'successors in interest,' i.e. anyone entitled to inherit a share of that person's property.

The article also mentions that a caregiver could try to replace an animal who has died in order to keep collecting money from the trust, and that a DNA test could help prevent that fraud. I personally think a simpler and cheaper way would be to have your pet implanted with one of those microchips used to locate lost pets. Then, if the trustee suspects that the caregiver has replaced the pet, she need only check to see if there is a chip, and if there is, whether it is the same chip. If you have a different suggestion on preventing fraud, feel free to post it as a comment.

Article on Meth and Theft in Today's World-Herald

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1638&u_sid=1456078

I have handled quite a few juvenile and misdemeanor cases involving meth. It is not a nice drug. You can count on having your face shrivel up, as well as losing quite a few of your teeth and your ability to enjoy sex. So what was the up side for you again?

But Officer, I DID Pay for My License Plate Renewals

I sent in the check. Maybe someone took it....

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=1455221

Quote of the Day

"It's a dark day for rivers and streams in Nebraska."

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1638&u_sid=1455468&u_rnd=1541287

Can we expect a groundswell of opposition to this decision? Will the NRD see a flood of support from the urban areas? Or will the Capitol tell the farmers to cry them a river?

Douglas County Democratic Chairman Gets Off Easy

Omaha City Councilman Chuck Sigerson has settled his lawsuit against Douglas County Democratic Chairman Ron Hug, and all it cost Hug was an apology.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=1455493

Ron had sent out fliers during Chuck's reelection campaign last year stating flat out that Chuck had sexually assaulted a minor. This was based on the "Red Robin" incident, where a girl in a mascot outfit for the restaraunt claimed the coucilman had groped her. In his apology, which he is mailing Ron said that he thought the allegations were true, but later learned they were false. The text of the apology is here:

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=1455526

This is amazing. Ron is not only getting off easy, he's getting off with another lie! Ron says that at the time he sent the flier he thought the charges were true, but that he has since learned they were false. There's only one problem with this assertion. The charges against Sigerson were dismissed in 2003. Is Hug really saying that he was not aware of this? IT WAS ALL OVER THE NEWS!!! Unless he has been out of the state for 2 years, I don't see how he could have missed it. The Chairman of the Douglas County Democrats doesn't keep up with the news about politicians in his own backyard? What, he doesn't talk to anyone else about politics or current events in Omaha? He's either lying, or he is the worst party chairman anyone could have.

I really think Chuck should have pressed him for a total admission.

More Proof of the Efficiency of Bureaucracy

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=1454231

Rules of Evidence Meets Schoolhouse Rock!

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=hearsay

This really brings back fond memories....

And While I'm Giving Out Advice....

It appears that in Nebraska, if you are drunk and you kill someone, your best option is to flee the scene immediately.

http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/4672114/detail.html

Key quotes:

"Papst faced a felony charge, but because the county attorney couldn't prove that she was drunk at the time of the accident, Papst was able to plead to the misdemeanor."

"In order to convict on a felony, prosecutors would have had to prove that Papst was drunk at the time of the accident. But police didn't catch up with her until later on the night of the collision."

Advice: If You are Wanted on Federal Warrants....

....then you should avoid visiting certain places, like the Sarpy County Jail.

http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/4674586/detail.html

Omaha Man Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial

The Omaha World-Herald has reported that a 21 year old man was ruled incompetent to stand trial in a stabbing and burning of another man. The story can be found here. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=1450635&u_rnd=5722293

Key quotes:

"Burns told police he stabbed Martin because Martin had ridiculed Burns' choice of music."

"Burns' attorney, Assistant Douglas County Public Defender Matthew Miller, has suggested in court that Burns is bipolar."

That sounds pretty weak. A therapist friend estimated off the cuff that 10% of the residents of Omaha could be bipolar. It would have been nice if the paper could have given more information on the severity of his condition.