General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUnhinged Judge revokes plea deal and sentences man to 30 days in jail for playful gesture
Judge McHugh was furious when people in the audience laughed.
Swickle: "I don't think it was done as any disrespect to the court. I don't think he meant to get a reaction from the court room, judge."
The judge told Johnson she wouldn't accept a plea deal that involved only community service and more anger management counseling. Instead, she sentenced him to 30 days in jail and tacked three months onto his one-year probation, which would have ended in September.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/10/justice/chad-johnson-jail/?hpt=us_t3
Her original comments to him were begging for some sort of contempt charge, and she pounced at the first opportunity to take the law into her own hands. Sentenced to jail because other people laughed? Really? He's a football player. Right or wrong, that's how they show affection and celebrate amongst each other after games and other events. That judge is out of control!
TexasTowelie
(112,620 posts)and Johnson didn't show up to meet with his probation officer. That's grounds to be taken into immediate custody and have probation revoked. He also assaulted a woman at a bar. In most states, probationers are not allowed to be at a bar and it's interesting that he hasn't been required to submit to urine analysis. I think that he has been shown a lot of favoritism that most people wouldn't receive in similar circumstances.
Sorry, but Chad gets no sympathy from me and the judge's decision seems reasonable.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)According to the arrest report that the Davie Police Department released last month, Lozada returned to the couple's home from grocery shopping shortly after 7 p.m. August 11 and noticed a receipt with a charge for a box of condoms.
The couple then began talking about the sales receipt and their marriage, according to the arrest report.
"As they were talking, Johnson became upset and without (his wife's) permission, grabbed her and butted her on the forehead, causing a laceration," the police report said, giving her account.
After trying to calm down a screaming Johnson, his wife said she ran "to a neighbor's house to get away from" him.
A Davie police officer soon responded and found Johnson's wife with an approximately 3-inch cut in the middle of her forehead.
--more--
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/12/sport/chad-johnson-charge/index.html
"Honey, what are the condoms for?"
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)lawyer for getting this deal for him. Instead of doing so, he patted his lawyer on the ass in court. He is in court, and should show respect for the court. Football players have been known to take offense when others pat their asses in the wrong context, in fact they have been known to punch people bloody for doing so. To pat a lawyer's ass in court might be tempting, but it is about as appropriate as spiking a ball at the bailiff.
The athlete was in the wrong, and also an idiot.
Logical
(22,457 posts)Tien1985
(920 posts)Not acting stupid in public. It's disrespectful to smack someone on the ass in a courtroom.
Seriously, I can't believe that needs to be said.
TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)If athletes are comfortable with this gesture toward each other during a game, that's their business. Smacking someone's ass who isn't a teammate during a game in a totally different environment whether in or out of a courtroom is stupid, disrespectful and completely inappropriate. The fact that he did it to his attorney in a courtroom goes way beyond stupid, disrespectful and inappropriate. Clearly, it shows that he hasn't learned a fucking thing about keeping his hands to himself and not using peoples' body parts inappropriately.
This domestic violence asswipe should never have gotten a plea anyway. Anyone else in his same position would not have.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)Ochocinco or whatever the asshat calls himself is a tool.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)The guy knew he was getting off lightly for the assault--and he decides to get cute in court?
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)Domestic violence no less and some people want to make him seem like a hero.
madinmaryland
(64,933 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)That's totally what this issue is about and the attorney themselves did not consider it disrespectful. It was a spur of the moment symbolic gesture from a football player, and the football player "good job" pat on the ass to their teammates is a well-known gesture in America.
So...
I am left wondering if the courtroom did not react as it did if the judge would have had any problem with it. And that leads me to wonder exactly how much merit her rejection of the plea has.
PB