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He wasn’t Drunk & Hit No One, but Might Still Go to Jail
phoenixnewtimes.com — Two drivers stopped at a red light one night in April 2007. One driver was drunk — and not just a little drunk. Jonathan Hernandez was a convicted felon on probation, with enough alcohol in his blood to qualify for an extreme DUI. The other driver, 19-year-old Jacob Ritter-Clark, had never gotten so much as a speeding ticket. He was sober.
kingjafee- 84 diggs
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- kingjafee, on 07/17/2008, -1/+16NOTICE TO ALL:
Don't drive through or in Arizona if you can help it because you are liable to either get pulled over for looking Brown or arrested for being sober.
THE MORE YOU KNOW:******** - P3ST4, on 07/17/2008, -0/+8Yea this sounds like absolute BS. Theres no way they can seriously convict this guy based on the "evidence" they have. He didn't do anything.
- Coven, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2Considering the dolt the State assigned to him as a public defender, I wouldn't put anything past these prosecutors.
- sigafoo, on 07/17/2008, -0/+7Lets get this to the front page. People need to know about this.
- spacenettnet, on 07/17/2008, -0/+6What the hell. This is an outrage!
- mmijatov, on 07/17/2008, -0/+3Boy was that disturbing . . . I guess Maricopa County Arizona can suck it?
- DoomyMcDoomdoom, on 07/17/2008, -0/+6This is an outrage and the precise type of thing that ties up the American court system and makes our arguments of legality look like rubbish on the global stage! There needs to be a public outcry for the dismal of charges against Jacob Ritter-Clark and a very plausible lawsuit against the county of Maricopa for emotional damages and legal fees.
- LoCoPyRo, on 07/17/2008, -2/+3Although its very possible the defendant is completely innocent I would suggest everyone slows down and thinks about it for a minute. To me the article seems extremely biased in the defendant's favor and attempts to victumize him. It is also probably missing a lot of the key information about the case.
The article raises a lot of questions in my mind. The defendants story sounds pretty shady.. apparently he wasn't drag racing yet witnesses say he was going way over the speed limit? If their first lawyer was so great how could he overlook something so obvious as hiring an insider to the case. Why didn't the family make arrangements and try to contact the second lawyer the state provided for them for free? If the prosecutor has no evidence to support a case for aggravated assault why would they be bringing it to the court? Like the article itself states "typically, no one wants a trial. Trials are expensive". They obviously have evidence and a case or it wouldn't be brought to court. The article doesn't even explicitly state what the defendant is going to be tried for.. I assume its aggravated assault but Im not sure.
Again I definitely feel for the guy, especially with a child on the way, but I think you guys are too quick to praise him without getting all the information of the case. If you really care enough to start a 'campaign' to absolve this guy of any charges at least take the time to seek out and read his police report.- Coven, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1"Like the article itself states "typically, no one wants a trial. Trials are expensive". They obviously have evidence and a case or it wouldn't be brought to court."
Remember Mike Nifong and the Duke lacrosse case? 'nuff said
- Coven, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1"Like the article itself states "typically, no one wants a trial. Trials are expensive". They obviously have evidence and a case or it wouldn't be brought to court."
- meuse, on 07/17/2008, -2/+2I don't know if we're getting the full story. First the article said there were two witnesses who say he was speeding. Then it said there were 20 witnesses. What do the other 18 people say happened?
- FrankHope, on 07/18/2008, -0/+5Meet the real American justice system. Not the one they show you on TV. Cops with an attittude. Overzealous prosecutors. Judges who do whatever the hell they want in their court. Exorbitant lawyers fees. Plea bargains.
Guilty until proven innocent pretty much sums it up. The best legal system money can buy. - dave11980, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2Welcome to the land of the free.
- alapoet, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1***** attitudinal cops.
- argash, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1Maricopa County is the home of Sheriff Joe Arpio (or however that sick ***** spells his name)
- PolishLogic, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1This story is all over the place, and pretty light on thorough reporting....or any reporting other than trying their hardest to paint Ritter-Clark as a person being railroaded. Two witnesses seemed to describe this as a drag race, and there's no word on what the other witnesses said.
Buried.
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