Raw Deal

I found out that if you believe that your attourney did not adequately represent you that you can go back to appeal a decision.

Attourneys that you pay can be bad news. The truth is that some people got into law to make money, that means they want to spend the least amount of time and get the most amount of money. That also means they may not represent you very well and talk you into a plea that does not benefit you. They know that most people don't know the law. They think it's easier to go ahead and put a convition on your record and they have you pay them to expunge (have it removed) than it is for them to properly defend you.

Word to the formerly unwise, if you qualify, go with the Public Defender's Office. Even if you have to pay later because you make too much money, you may get a better defense.

Then again, it's forced me to learn something about the law on my own.

To wise up, take a look at you local court's website and see if they give you any helpful information. You can also check out http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/Criminal/ for helpful and inclusive information. They are a large court and give a great deal of helpful information at an early high school reading level.

Good luck and stay out of trouble!!

A Good Case For Trail

I met with a law clerk in the Public Defender's Office today. He let me read the police report. I told him the points that I took issue with.

1. They have no right to seize my purse.
2. They have no right to go in my purse and then say I wasn't cooperating.
3. They may not have a right to peer through the slats to watch you change. (I'm never using a dressing room again.)
4. They threatened me with excessive force.
5. They did not allow me to use the bathroom. (I don't care how murderous you are, you should be allowed to use the bathroom because they have what is called a "duty of care" responsibility if they detain you.
6. They are not allowed to use any kind of entrapment--or tricks to get you to commit a crime. (When I said I had to go to the bathroom I was directed to the open door rather than being told I could use the one in the store.)

Remember, if they make mistakes in the way that they treat you, they can be held liable for that.

The clerk will be getting copies of my medical records, surgical records and will subpoena a copy of the department store Loss Prevention Handbook.

I will let you know what is in that because it is totally relevant to this blog.

I have to wait to file a police complaint because if I make the complaint before the case is resolved, it could go badly for me. On the other hand, he said that because of my circumstances that this would be a great case for a trial. Apparently I love drama.

As with everything, I will let you know what happens.

And stop stealing stuff!!

Date with a Probation Officer

I thought it would be hot to go out with a probation officer who didn't know I was on probation. I suppose he might have found out eventually. But there was just something hot about it. And he seemed to really like my pictures--especially the sexy

Unfortunately, he backed out.

Gee I've been on unsupervised probation... What if I have to go on supervised probation and what if he turns out to be my PO? That will be interesting. I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Going off the meds

Every day I realize how many side effects I was experiencing. I really never wanted to be on antidepressants, but I had to. The problem with them is that they really can cause you to have a manic episode. I'm sure you've heard that it could be fun to be happy all the time. But a manic episode may not cause you to feel happy. It can also cause you to just be irritated all the time and end up yelling at people because you are so uncomfortable and on edge. I developed acne, I had muscle twitches, I had some basic muscle coordination issues--it was hard to write and even to read because I lost some fine motor coordination.

The antidepressant I was taking also is used to treat anxiety. That explains why I could shoplift and really not feel bad about it. As I cut the medication, I found I just couldn't do it anymore. I found myself being my usual square self who pays for everything.

Unfortunately, now I have mess to deal with. I don't have as much as Winona Ryder did, but still, it's a mess. One that I didn't even realize I was getting into until now when I am going off of it.

Crappy Birthday

My Brother called me and at the end of our conversation he said, in that off-hand way that all men say things to women they care about:

Brother: Stay out of trouble.
Petty: I think you should tell me that more often.
Brother: Yeah, riiiight.
Petty: No really. It might help.

No, really, Brother, maybe knowing that you care might have punctured through the prescription drug-induced haze.

What if it's true?

What if it's true that I've been mentally compromised by medications I was taking? I think it might actually be. I can't believe the things I have been doing. Now that I'm going off my meds, I'm in a little bit of shock. It was like part of my brain was dead and now it's back. I had to go on the medicine to basically save my life, but then it caused other problems. What if I was truly heavily impacted by a head injury. I'm so confused. I promise you, it's not the Twinky defense.

Not Guilty

I know what you're thinking...
I won't admit to a single thing.
I went to court today for arraignment. In case you don't know what that is, that's when you appear before a judge to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. If you say you are not guilty, then you have a pre-trial hearing after you meet with a public defender.
For now a plea of Not Guilty has been entered. I took a little trip to the Public Defender's Office. I'm totaly out of dough. I am cleaning up such a huge mess. I don't even know what happened to my processes of logic or even my sense of right and wrong. All I know is that I stopped taking one of the medications I was on, and halved the dose of the other one. On the other side of that, I'm looking at the shambles of my life in shock.

What was I doing?
What was I thinking?
I don't know. I don't know.
I feel sick.

A New Era

Yes, it's true, after my recent episode involving police abuse, that was enough to shake me out of it. Stealing a dress never made anyone feel any better. Of course it's easily arguable that if stopped, you didn't actually steal anything. It's also true that attempted theft combined with humiliation and excessive force at the hands of the police REALLY never made anyone feel any better.

Because of my strong fear of abuse by those in authority, not being able to get copies of surveillance tapes, etc, I have purchased a spy camera.

There was a time when a camera in a pen, watch or MP3 player sized device was pure fiction. Those days are now here.

This is not so much about you being guilty or innocent. You are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is about people who may violate your civil rights.

According to civil codes, people can be recording in a public place where there is no expectation of privacy. That means you can record people at a store, on the steps of the courthouse, and anywhere else that is PUBLIC.

10 Commandments on a Penny

My doctor gave me the 10 Commandments on a penny.
She was giving them out to everyone with a big smile.
I think they should be able to post it at every school.

I rubbed it in my pocket all day thinking:

Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not steal.

Next Steps

The agency I hired wants me to do some investigative work for them. They want me to wear a wire tap when I go back there and see if I am approached and harassed by the department store staff. Did you know that they can't harass you for stuff like that?

He said he will be writing to the department store corporate office on my behalf saying that they unreasonably detained me and treated me badly. He said that will pressure them to drop the charges. If they are exposed for their abuses, it will be way worse for them financially.

Everything was captured on video that night. Copies of video can be subpoenaed to show that the arresting officer used excessive force.

As always, I'll let you know what happens.

Lastly, don't steal anything and I won't either. Not even a stick of gum!!!