Legal consequences involving the Chinese tile game mahjong were in the news twice today. First, the AP reported that petty criminals in Taiwan are increasingly being given the choice of either paying a fine or engaging in community service. ("Petty…
For years, police and prosecutors have complained about the effect of law-and-order shows (like — well, like "Law and Order") on juries. They say that having watched the shows, jurors expect certain things from the attorneys at trial, and in…
We all have problems with our neighbors, but just be glad you don't live next to Don Bertone. Residents in his community in southeastern San Francisco have complained for three years about Bertone, and police have been called dozens of…
Here we thought kids understood the concept of the "Internet," but at least some do not get the fact that what you post there can be seen by anybody, including the judge who previously let you off with probation. They…
A crafty modus operandi indeed.
This one’s easy: you just kidnap him until the family pays the ransom, I mean fees. Works best on the client’s wedding day. Police in Waco, Texas, said that Paula Allen, a 51-year-old attorney who had defended Rolando Castelan from…
Jacob Vandeven, 27, of Whitewater, Missouri, got off relatively easy after he was charged with drunk driving and causing an accident in which people were injured. Charged with a felony, he was allowed to plead guilty to a reduced misdemeanor…
In addition to "Santarchy" in New Zealand, many other stories this week of bad Santas all around the world. For some reason, many of them seem to be operating in Germany. There were at least three reports of bad Santas…
Into the tiger den at the zoo. Officials at this particular zoo, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, have said the Bengal tigers in question "will not be destroyed because they were blameless." AP via SFGate.com
"Santarchy," as you know, is the technical term for any violent rampage carried out by large groups of people dressed as Santa Claus. The latest incident of Santarchy took place in New Zealand, on December 18, when as many as…