CHARTER—A 23-year-old man was arrested when pulled over, driving at 90 km/hr with a blood alcohol content of 0.16. Judge William Rothfuss, noting that this was the defendant's third drink driving offence, stated that it was “disturbing and unseemly that this man would be able to continue to terrorise our roads” and deemed him a threat to society. His licence has been suspended for three months and he may be subject to community service.
LOUDOUN—A 40-year-old man was arrested outside of a bar after getting into a confrontation with another patron, picking him up and head butting him to the point that the victim received debilitating injuries. Police noted in the incident report that the man was clearly intoxicated and that his vehicle was parked very nearby. Judge Roy Silvers, questioning the mental stability of the defendant, sentenced him to six months of alcohol rehabilitation, suggesting that he would “clearly benefit from professional treatment to help alleviate evident anger management, temper fluctuation, and reactive response problems.”
ESSEX—A group of four men, aged 19, 20, 21, and 34, were arrested during a police raid on a suspected drug manufacturing operation in a low-key location in an exurban gated neighborhood. Two of the suspects have prior convictions for drink driving, and one has prior charges related to the cultivation of illicit drugs. Judge Amy Fratworth suggested that all four men would benefit from voluntary drug rehabilitation programs, while the eldest member of the group was scolded for “not considering the ramifications of his obvious influence over these younger men in shaping their lifestyles and societal attitudes which have put them in the position that they find themselves in now.” He was sentenced to pay a fine not to exceed $10,000 to be determined next month.
FORRESTER—A 58-year-old woman was arrested for the improper storage of two firearms with expired registrations, and the possession of fifteen additional illicit guns. Judge Barbara Cripps reacted to the defendant's justification for these weapons on the grounds of self protection with barely restrained outrage, offering that she “posed such an enormous threat to society, with possible links to the underground weapon industry which we need to investigate further, that it would be inhumane not to incarcerate her for the safety of the general public.” The defendant's lawyer, L. Furtusoza, decried the ruling as an infringement of civil liberties with concerning repercussions in the field of privacy rights law.
ARNATA—A dozen protesters organised out the front of the Arnata Clothing & Vacuum Outlet, in the hope of bringing attention to the business' alleged worker mistreatment. Employees hoping to enter the building at the start of the day were accosted by protesters demanding confirmations of stories describing the overtime conditions as adding up to approximately $30,000 in lost wages annually per full time worker. Employees are prohibited in their contracts from badmouthing the company in public venues, and risk termination if they violate this policy. So far, no workers have stepped forward to corroborate the details provided by three ex-employees. The city council discussed the matter in its weekly briefing, dismissing the complaints as hearsay and implicating that any investigation would be a very low priority in these cash-strapped times.
