Love Lost in West Haven Homeless Tent Compound

She left him alone in their tent.  Come on, what did she expect?  He must have been beating them away with a stick.  No woman can refuse the charms of a man with his own tent.  Seriously, his own tent!

Anyway, it all ended badly.  She caught Prince Charming having his way with another woman in that tent.  So she did what any other self-respecting West Haven tent-dweller would do:  she stabbed him in the eye.  Now she faces criminal charges.

Read the story in the New Haven Register

Sex Offender Felled by Sponge Balls

Seems sex offenders are impervious to everything but sponge balls.  Luckily, police from Guilford and Branford knew of this weakness when they were called to a disturbance on Tuesday. 

From the New Haven Register:

GUILFORD — A registered sex offender arrested Tuesday in a domestic violence dispute was arraigned in his hospital room Wednesday by a group of court personnel and held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Gerald Ignatowski, 57, of Wauwinet Trail, was arraigned at Yale-New Haven Hospital where he was taken after allegedly threatening a girlfriend with a gun and being shot in the chest by police using a weapon that fires a sponge ball, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Hutchinson said.

read the whole article

Those crazy sex offenders and their near-invincibility!

Attorneys Argue Pretrial Issue

A Superior Court Judge in Cheshire has denied a motion by lawyers for Defendant Steven Hayes to close the courtroom for pretrial motions so that jurors will not be prejudiced by news coverage of the hearing.  Jurors have already been selected in this case, although they are not scheduled to hear any testimony until the trial starts in September.

Seems to me that the defense attorneys have a valid concern here.  Typically, jurors are instructed not to listen to or read anything about a trial that might appear in the media.  They are also instructed not to consider anything other than the evidence admitted at trial when reaching their verdict.  Jurors however, as far as I understand, are people.  Quite the temptation I would think.

On the other hand, there are constitutional issues at play compelling trials to be open to the public.  I am sure that the judge in this case gave due consideration to all the legal arguments for and against before deciding not to close the courtroom.  I do not second-guess his ruling.  However....

Here's a novel idea:  why not wait until September (when the trial is suppose to begin) to pick the freakin jury?  Then, lawyers for both sides can question potential jurors about what they may have already learned about the case from the media.  They can strike for cause those jurors who are prejudiced, and eliminate this whole question as a potential appellate issue.  Just a suggestion.

If you wish, read more about this case in the Hartford Courant.

Shelton Purse Snatchers Arrested

Four very attractive people were arrested after snatching the purse of a 67 year-old woman.  Police from Trumbull, Bridgeport and Shelton were all involved in the arrest.  One of the suspects somehow lost his favorite shirt during the incident.  He was reportedly very upset and sobbed much of the night until drifting peacefully to sleep.

Read the full story from the Connecticut Post, complete with lovely photos, here.

Greenwich Attorney Guilty of Tax Evasion

Well-known attorney and TV legal analyst Mickey Sherman pleaded guilty in Federal Court for failing to pay $1.1 million in taxes.

From the Connecticut Post:

Sherman, 63, of Greenwich pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to two misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to pay taxes on returns he filed in 2001 and 2002.

He faces up to a year in prison on each charge when she sentences him Sept. 27. He also could see his license to practice law suspended by the state.

For shame, Mickey.