Judge rules Pettaway can not face death penalty in murders of Springfield Township couple

What is this guy's background? Was he in special classes in school? Did he have a diagnosis prior to killing people? Did anyone else comment about his disability (parent(s), teachers, friends, clergy) prior to killing people? What are the parameters of determining retardation by the psychologists in this case? Is this guy enough of a lowlife to be faking it?

Nobody wants to kill mentally retarded individuals...and as noted in the article, the Supreme Court (rightly) declared doing so unconstitutional. However, without any more information, you can't help but wonder about this one...

A bright note: since one killer has now been declared mentally retarded, that leaves the other (by default) as the "mastermind". Good luck with your defense, sport.

A bright note: since one killer has now been declared mentally retarded, that leaves the other (by default) as the "mastermind". Good luck with your defense, sport.

D'oh...you're right. That would be the logical conclusion to draw. Sucks to be the other guy!

I wonder if his lawyers will be able to keep that from being heard by the jury?

Not like the jury wouldn't know anyhow. Even if you aren't intentionally seeking out info about this crime, it's hard not to know anything about it.

I would likely be disqualified from being on that jury, because a friend was one of the first on the scene of the crime. That's probably for the best - I've heard some of the first hand impressions, and I definitely don't want to see the photographs.

From the Blade article:

Mr. Pettaway told him he had been placed in special-education classes from an early age, Mr. Fabian said.

"He had an IQ around 70 and his academic achievement scores were around 70 or below, so this is clearly mental retardation," Mr. Fabian said.

Mr. Pettaway failed ninth grade four times, drifted away from schools, and has never had gainful employment, he said.

I thought that these days even bad students tend to advance eventually through "social promotion." I was genuinely surprised to see that apparently someone could fail 9th grade 4 times.

(I'm not sure I completely buy his explanation, but that's not for me to decide. The court already ruled on that.)

Nobody wants to kill mentally retarded individuals...

I don't agree with that, OldHomeTown. If I needed six men or women for a firing squad all I'd have to do is visit one to three local bars and I'd have a full squad who would not only volunteer but would bring their own rifle and ammunition, and I'd have six substitutions in case of an absence on the fateful morning. None of those people would think twice about killing someone who was mentally retarded, mentally ill or mentally impaired in any other fashion. They just do not give one final damn about the state of the guilty party.

As you point out, executing someone who is mentally impaired is just plain wrong and we won't do that in this country - which means that in spite of the best efforts of some of our political leaders, we the people in Ohio still have moral standards that our government adheres to.

As far as testing goes, I'm not familiar with mental retardation. Main Lady is a licensed clinical psychologist who has experience dealing with criminals and the legal system, so I'll see what she has to say. I can tell you that criminals will occasionally try to fake mental illness, but it doesn't last or isn't effective. They get discovered and sent to the big house, which is where they belonged to begin with. The discovery is based on a series of interviews with one or more psychologists.

Pettaway is likely a borderline case, which is a little surprising as such people are very, very rarely violent. Usually the developmentally challenged (retarded) remain at the 'tender' mercies of society their entire lives. One thing is certain in a case like this: Pettaway didn't come up with murder all on his own. He was prompted and directed through the entire business.

Well, there's the proof that I do not read the Blah and rarely watch local "news".

I was not aware that anyone had been apprehended in this case. Glad to hear it. Hopefully, the families will feel some sense of closure when it's over.

MJ, A documented IQ of 70 is not 'borderline'.

Actually, 70 is the very definition of borderline deficient.

Something I found on WTOL 11 site:

Charlene Cassel, a clinical psychologist with the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a private, nonprofit community forensic psychiatry facility, testified for the court, saying the tests she conducted and an interview with Mr. Pettaway led her to determine he is not mentally retarded, although she diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder.

Ms. Cassel said she determined Mr. Pettaway had a composite IQ of 79 with a 90 percent probability his IQ would fall somewhere "between 73 and 87."

Mr. Fabian took issue with Ms. Cassel's findings, saying she had not conducted an appropriate IQ test, that her test results were invalid because she read the questions for Mr. Pettaway, and that the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center was not qualified to do the type of evaluation required in a case like this.

So apparently, this jerk might be trying to answer the questions in a way that shows him to be retarded.

The Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center is exactly who should be evaluating this.

My bad, I should have looked it up rather than trust my memory. Of course, the scale may have changed since I took Psych. :)

Sorry if I seemed short. I only know from a recent case. Whether or not he is malingering is another question and one that the reviewing psychologists are very well-trained to identify. Even if he is trying to game the system, it is unlikely his attempt would go unnoticed - or unreported.

Interesting that madjack's Main Lady is a clinical psychologist! ;-)

"IQ score ranges (from DSM-IV):

Mild mental retardation: IQ 50–55 to 70; children require mild support; formally called "Educable Mentally Retarded".

Moderate retardation: IQ 35–40 to 50–55; children require moderate supervision and assistance; formally called "Trainable Mentally Retarded".

Severe mental retardation: IQ 20–25 to 35–40; can be taught basic life skills and simple tasks with supervision.

Profound mental retardation: IQ below 20–25; usually caused by a neurological condition; require constant care.

The rate of mental retardation is higher among males than females, and higher among blacks than whites, according to a 1991 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study.

By race, the overall rate was 16.6 per 1000 for blacks and 6.8 per 1000 for whites. Rates of mental retardation for black males, the group with the highest rates, were 1.7 times higher than black females, 2.4 times higher than white males, and 3.1 times higher than white females.

Individuals with IQs below 70 have been essentially exempted from the death penalty in the U.S. since 2002."

An I.Q. of 70 could well be described as Borderline, Given that there are variations in score from test to test, and time to time taking the test. Also depends on what test is given, some people may score lower than their actual score if you know what test to give.

I.Q. tests are like most statistics you can fudge them, By knowing which tests to give you can sometimes move a score +/- 5-6 points (not in all cases but in many). And that's not the psychologist cheating the test given, just knowing which test to give.

You did not seem short, MTR, I did not take it that way. As soon as you said it, I knew you were right. Also, just for GP, CMS has changed the description on the codes we use to bill these maladies. "Mental retardation" is no longer allowed, it's now "Intellectual Disability". The more you know! ;)

Two words: Couch therapy.

The rate of mental retardation is higher among males than females, and higher among blacks than whites...

Both racist and sexist - roygbiv is gonna catch some hell!

Whether or not he is malingering is another question and one that the reviewing psychologists are very well-trained to identify. Even if he is trying to game the system, it is unlikely his attempt would go unnoticed - or unreported.

Cases of malingering or feigning mental illness occur but the perpetrators are usually discovered within a month or two - or so I'm told.

Being raised in a home without a father, likely where mom had a new boyfriend every week, in a neighborhood where all he sees is failure and criminality would easily make you not have a real sense for reality outside of your pathetic world. Of course your are going to have "learning disabilities" when you parents have not taken to time to stress the importance of education or the value of paying attention in school.

I'm sorry but if we start down this road then every thug isn't "smart" because their IQ is low than we will never be able to convict anyone. Maybe he is real dumb because that is all his life has ever been filled with. That's not retardation, that's horrible upbringing.

This is not a shot against people with real developmental disabilities but I feel this is a matter of nurture instead of nature. Slippery slope...

My best friend "teaches" "special ed" in a local TPS high school. He's a warden, technically. He said that the class is not full of developmentally disabled kids, like one might imagine. It is full of thugs. The disability that these kids were born with is their parents. If the crack ingested during pregnancy didn't do enough damage, a childhood in the culture does. He struggles to get 17 and 18 year olds (when they show up) to learn their ones and tens places. They just don't get it. They will graduate not knowing first grade math. But they do know how to get pregnant, and how to drive to school in a stolen car.

I am very familiar with DD (we used to call it Metally Retarded back in the day) from personal experience with relatives and local agencies. That thug ain't special. I agree with the professional who called it a "character defect."

My best friend "teaches" "special ed" in a local TPS high school. He's a warden, technically. He said that the class is not full of developmentally disabled kids, like one might imagine. It is full of thugs.....They just don't get it. They will graduate not knowing first grade math. But they do know how to get pregnant, and how to drive to school in a stolen car.

^^Fabulous testimonial for that TPS levy on the November ballot. Can I expect to see this in a TV or radio commercial too?

I'm sorry...when I think of "special ed", "developmentally disabled", or (the old fashioned) "mentally retarded", I think of the wonderful souls I have met, worked with, and befriended over the years. I think of the girl who called me at the radio station that I could barely understand at first (speech was very slurred--I got better at listening!), but loved the radio and all of us on the air and we returned her love back (she since graduated high school with enough computer skills to do simple work for pay). I think of the wonderful people who work at Lott Industries and a thousand other enterprises who have fought to be part of society.

The court may classify this "person" as mentally retarded...but will never be able to convince those of us who have much experience with disabled individuals that this is his affliction.

No. You shouldn't expect to hear the truth about TPS on a TV or Radio commercial. The scary part is.... next year they will eliminate "special ed" and mainstream the misfit toys. They will be sitting in the same classroom with little Johnny and Suzy and a "special ed" teacher will come to the room to assist the "special ed" kids when/as needed. No disruption there.

Anyway...
I too think of many wonderful and kind people that I have known with "MRDD." Especially close family members and the kind and appreciative people that I have met working with agencies who work to enrich their lives. None of the MRDD folks that I have met in my life had violent tendencies or were sociopathic in the least. Unless they hugged you to death.

Here's the latest update about the mental capacity of Pettaway. While there is disagreement between the two headshrinkers, they may be more in agreement than not.

Expert questions mental capacity of slaying suspect

"He's functioning currently at a third or fourth-grade level," Cleveland psychologist John Matthew Fabian said of Cameo Pettaway.

Fabian has been hired by the defense and admits to conducting (and billing for) 60 hours of interviews and tests, including interviewing people who interacted with Pettaway, like school teachers. Fabian says that Pettaway functions at a third or forth grade level, meaning about 9 to 10 years old. Now, at 9 years old I fully understood about death, the difference between play guns and real guns (BB guns were real) and that it was morally reprehensible to murder people in their beds.

Charlene Cassel, a clinical psychologist with the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a private, nonprofit community forensic psychiatry facility, testified for the court, saying the tests she conducted and an interview with Mr. Pettaway led her to determine he is not mentally retarded, although she diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder.

Ms. Cassel said she determined Mr. Pettaway had a composite IQ of 79 with a 90 percent probability his IQ would fall somewhere "between 73 and 87."

Cassel does not have the best reputation in the world, but she isn't incompetent. She's weird. All that said, note that Cassel rate Pettaway's IQ between 73-87, meaning that he's in that really neat gray area - borderline retarded.

I note that Cassel works for the State and was the headshrinker that got Gloria Burks off when Burks shot a fellow officer.

Psychologist: Toledo sergeant shot colleague amid seizure

The report from Charlene Cassel appears to support Sgt. Gloria Burks' not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity plea.

Both reports are biased, but both agree that Pettaway is about as sharp as a marble. If you believe The Blade, Pettaway flunked the ninth grade four times, meaning that he turned 18 and was in class with a bunch of 15 year old kids. I'll bet nobody called him a retard.

The evidence against Pettaway doesn't look very strong anyway, but taking the death penalty off the table will save the State a ton of money if nothing else, and if the headshrinkers are right about Pettaway's IQ the State shouldn't execute him anyway.

madjack - have you ever met and talked at length with Charlene Cassel ? I highly doubt it. It appears that you are way out of your league and you need to stop reporting opinions of oh, say, your wife. Stop trying to act like you are expert in this field also. Just because the old lady works as a clinical psychologist does not make you one, Mr.know-it-all.
Stay with something that you are quite familiar with -drinking alcohol like a lush.

madjack - have you ever met and talked at length with Charlene Cassel ? I highly doubt it

I see. A one hit wonder attempting a drive-by.

You know, I was all set to post a somewhat pithy response, but now I'm wondering... could this loser be Mike Coon?

Well, if he knows you drink like a lush, I'd suspect he may have been around longer than June. ;)

"You know, I was all set to post a somewhat pithy response, but now I'm wondering... could this loser be Mike Coon?"---

It's not him, style is completely different, but could be somebody who used to be a member here you p*ssed off and came back for a quick-hitter, obviously under different screenname.

...could be somebody who used to be a member here you p*ssed off...

Well that narrows it right down, doesn't it?

Thanks McCaskey. You're probably right.

Ryan?

I heard Ryan bit himself and died of rabies a few days after he departed ToledoTalk in a snit. Still... it does remind me of Ryan. For one thing Ryan was not a lettered, erudite author. For another, Ryan would often get an emotional spike in his id and by the time the impulse had worked its way past the ego and overloaded the superego, certain higher functions would be put on hold - the ability to express coherent thoughts in writing generally was sacrificed in favor of gratification.

For me, his writing evoked the vision of an ill-mannered five year old having a temper tantrum with a mouth stuffed to overflowing with candy - the barely coherent words No I did-dunt! He's a doo-doo head!! repeated until a school teacher's aid mercifully leads the little darling off to the quiet time area. Ryan in one hand, duct tape in the other.

I seen a video of that guy your describing.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2012/07/20/abc-news-admits-incorrectly-linking-tea-party-mass-murder-colorado#ixzz21BO7R8kU

Oops wrong link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-oJBrauxA4&feature=player_detailpage

How about cutting Pettaway a plea deal? Maybe he will roll on the other guy and also provide details as to who else was there?

Pettaway's defense is that he was never there. Moreover, the evidence against Pettaway is very, very slim. Since Pettaway isn't the only suspect here (there are two) the rest of the murderers may be discovered and apprehended, then given a fair trial and a fine hanging.

Another problem with the case against Pettaway is that he doesn't appear anywhere, even remotely, in the deceased's background. What was his motive?

Should I have been as surprised that I was when I realized today that Mr. Pettaway, the poor soul who has special needs, is a "baby daddy?" Yes, he is currently responsible for the proper upbringing of a productive member of East Toledo society.

Yes, he is currently responsible for the proper upbringing of a productive member of East Toledo society.

Travis Johnson Jr. here we come...

Was anyone else as surprised as I was to find there was a drug connection to this now seemingly less bizarre double homicide?

I admit I didn't follow the case very close but it seems to me that the victims were portrayed as model citizens. Now we learn........not so much.

You want to play in the world of drugs - expect that the worst can and does happen.

I have no clue if the drug connection had anything to do with their murders - but things now begin to make a bit more sense.

I knew it was a drug case...think I mentioned it in McCaskey's original thread about it. Of course, that thread was so long that my comment could have been buried and not noticed.

(Disclosure: I know one of the deputies who was involved from the beginning and have heard tidbits along the way.)

Ah...it looks like I tried to be polite and merely say that they were involved with "unsavory people." :)

Comment

Mikey, that is pretty accurate based on what I was told from a direct source. Both individuals were getting involved with some pretty unsavory stuff/people.

justread: if you read through the thread mom2 just linked ("Nasty Piece of Business" is the title), you'll see that Mr. Pettaway, unfortunate waif with special needs, has FIVE children. 5. First became "baby daddy" at 14.

I forgot about that tidbit.

Q: Guess who's on the hook (and always has been) for the expenses of raising Mr. Pettaway's "shorties"?

A: (do I really have to tell you?)

I didn't know that he was a baby daddy five times over. I guess that answers any question in regard to "hobby." I think that "shorty" is a girl, btw. I think that the ghetto translation of "baby" is actually "baby." Not sure.

It was very clear from the beginning that it was a drug case. And that the girl probably died as a result of bad taste in boyfriends. The contrast between the two families is stark.

Charges against Cameo Pettaway dismissed:

http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2012/07/26/Judge-dismisses-murder-charges-against-double-homicide-suspect.html

Great. Maybe he can get a job supporting those 5 kids now.

Oh wait, he's "mentally retarded". Well, there goes that idea...

Wow. A predator walks. So his criminal career with arrests for assault, criminal trespass, domestic violence, drug abuse, drug sales, trafficking, possesion, felonius assault, aggravated murder, and menacing can continue. Look at his 11 mug shots, especially this one and tell me he is anything other than a predator.
http://www.mugshotsonline.com/ohio/toledo/cameo-d-pettaway/27358961
His life has been drugs and violence. If there is any karma at all, he will make his next move on that cop from walbridge.

Surprise!

Cameo Pettaway's mom has a criminal record too:

http://www.mugshotsonline.com/ohio/toledo/kenyatta-willis-baker/27372481

How sickening. An assault against "an unborn fetus of another." I guess you have a lot of time to assault people when you have NEVER in your life been gainfully employed.

Any comment from Mr. Gettaway's father?

I haven't been following the case super closely, but wasn't the primary (and pretty much only) evidence in Pettaway's case the DNA on the cigarette butt? Pettaway may be a scumbag and a lowlife, but that evidence is pretty thin. At least with other defendant, you have a jailhouse confession to another inmate that he participated in the killing.

"dumb" luck?

Being a little irked, but understanding the lack of evidence, of course... I went to read the comments on the blade. Odd how the supporters of the thug are largely represented in all caps and unusual little acronyms apparently part of some language taught in special ed class. Something between ebonics and grunting superimposed on texting. But they told "ALL Y'ALL" that he was innocent.
It would be nice if he is arrested or stopped in the act with extreme force before arrest number 12 for a violent crime against a person. It will happen. After all, they proved in court that it is all that he knows. A violent repeat offender with a 80 IQ.

I think the public defender representing Cameo will be requesting higher fees from future clients.

None of us certainly know whether or not he's a murderer. However, one of the saddest parts of this case, is Cameo already has 5 kids. I'm sure he'll breed plenty more before his next crime.

The rest of us will be stuck paying the bills, of course.

The Henny will be pouring tonight in the 05.

Henny ?
tonite,maybe.
will Big John write mr. ghettawhay's next chapter ?
the snake has already rattled, in a courtroom nonetheless.

^^^ Mike Coon alert?

So how long before Pettaway gets arrested again? Anybody want to place bets?

^^ 0.0 seconds. My understanding is that Wood County picked him up on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear as he left court. But he bonded out and is free now.

Well, the system worked. The evidence was thin, and the judge, a former prosecutor who is married to this county's elected prosecutor, realized evidence trumps emotion.

This case never should have been indicted. With all of the unidentified DNA, the cops should have waited 5-10 years for the other DNA to make it's way into the system through other felony arrests, and then moved forward.

I agree that there was not enough evidence to convict in a court of law. However, I am not a court of law, and the evidence rose to the level that convinced me that he was there. Coupled with his impressive resume of violent acts and drug use, I couldn't talk myself out of my opinion that he is guilty. I anticpate more trouble for this man, and those who cross paths with him. Maybe next time he hurts someone there will be more evidence.

10AM 7/27/12: Williams Guilty of Murder in Springfield Twp. Killings

Samuel Williams, 24, was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of aggravated burglary.

The jury of nine women and three men returned the verdict at about 10 a.m. today, after deliberating for more than seven hours. The guilty verdict means that Williams will undergo a second phase of trial, beginning Monday, to determine if he faces the death penalty.

Well, at least Samuel Williams was found guilty. (Of course, there was more evidence against him than Pettaway.)

Wonder if his lawyers will attempt to negotiate out of the death penalty by getting him to snitch on the other participants?

According to the jailhouse informant, Williams has stated that he went to the home with Pettaway and one other individual.

Since Pettaway was acquitted on the previous charges and can't be re-tried, I wonder if there's any way to convict him on something else even if he can't be brought back up on murder again? (Kidnapping, assault, etc.) Unless those charges were already part of the initial trial too?

If it were my family member who had been murdered, I think I would be OK with dropping the death penalty for life in prison without possibility of parole... if he gave information that lead to the arrest and conviction of other guilty parties.

That's just how I think I'd personally feel...I suspect I'd rather know everyone was off the streets, rather than have one on death row and the other unknown participants being free.

WAIT A MINUTE. Can we get a lawyer to weigh in?
Pettaway wasn't found innocent. The charges (all of them, mom2) were dismissed. Can the prosecutor not bring new charges based on additional evidence due to the fact that it was a dismissal rather than a trial with a not guilty verdict?

He said it was a difficult decision, but that he was "required by law" to dismiss the charges after defense attorneys made a motion for acquittal.

Because of double-jeopardy law, Mr. Pettaway cannot be tried again on the charges

http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2012/07/27/springfield-twp-slayings-defendant-freed.html

Not a lawyer--just a guy with an Internet connection:

FindLaw: When Double Jeopardy Protection Ends

Dismissals are granted by the trial court for miscellaneous procedural errors and defects that operate as an absolute barrier to prosecution. For example, the prosecution must establish that a court has jurisdiction over a defendant before prosecution may commence. Failure to establish jurisdiction will normally result in a dismissal upon an objection raised by the defendant. Dismissals may be entered before a jury has been impaneled, during trial, or after conviction. But jeopardy must attach before a dismissal implicates double jeopardy protection.

Once jeopardy attaches, a dismissal granted by the court for insufficient evidence terminates jeopardy and bars further prosecution with one exception. The prosecution may appeal a dismissal entered after the jury has returned a guilty verdict. If the appellate court reverses the dismissal, the guilty verdict can be reinstated without necessitating a second trial. A dismissal granted for lack of evidence after a case has been submitted to a jury, but before a verdict has been reached, may not be appealed by the state.

Reprosecution is permitted and jeopardy continues against the defendant when a case is dismissed by the court at the defendant's request for reasons other than sufficiency of the evidence. For example, courts may dismiss a case when the defendant's right to a speedy trial has been denied by prosecutorial pretrial delay. The Supreme Court has held that no double jeopardy interest is triggered when defendants obtain a dismissal for reasons unrelated to their guilt or innocence (see United States v. Scott, 437 U.S. 82, 98 S.Ct. 2187, 57 L.Ed.2d 65 [1978]).

--------

On a plain reading of this, it seems that Pettaway cannot be prosecuted for the same crime, as his case dismissal was due to the lack of evidence against him.

He cannot be tried again for the agg. murder/murder, agg. burglary/robbery, or kidnapping. He could also not be tried for any acts that were part of those alleged crimes (e.g. assault).

As I read the article that I linked above, this quote from the judge about the evidence really jumped out at me:

He said he was expecting the cell phone records presented by prosecutors to implicate Mr. Pettaway in the January, 2011, slayings, but if anything they did the opposite.

"I thought this is really going to put Mr. Pettaway in Holland during this critical time period," the judge said. "If anything the cell phone records showed that Mr. Pettaway may not have been at the scene. I'm surprised that the cell phone records were even utilized in evidence."

Why in the world would the prosecution introduce evidence that, in the judge's eyes, seemed to demonstrate that Pettaway was not in Springfield Twp at the time of the murders?

I see. Thought that maybe there was a difference between dismissal and acquittal in terms of "jeopardy."
Oh well, back to counting on karma.

hahaha. come on just, you know as well as I do that "karma" has a name - well, initials anyways...JC

As much as I have tried to follow the case, and as much as I believe that Cameo Pettaway is a sub-human, I can't advocate for, or suggest that John Clarke Sr. will commit a criminal act of revenge against the sub-human monster Pettaway. I prefer to hope that he will be taken out in a legal way due to just cause.

me too.

I'd worry more about Clarke's mom. Remember her? Her FB page (it is under "Justice for Johnny Clarke and Lisa Straub) is bonkers. Here's what she posted after Pettaway's dismissal:

And here she is on the news yesterday.

Johnny Clarke's mother Maytee Vasquez-Clarke was banned from the courtroom during Cameo Pettaway's trial .

"I will continue to demand justice for Johnny Clarke and his girlfriend Lisa Straub until my last dying breath."

http://www.13abc.com/story/19126718/victims-mother-dismissing-charges-horrible-catastrophe

She attacked a sherrif's deputy. (No link, heard straight from a deputy.)

If she'd attack a deputy, who knows what she'd do to Pettaway.

He did her a favor.
Banned she sits at home. Contempt she sits in jail.

I had to laugh as she did the interview. She worked very hard to sound 'normal'. If I hadn't seen her on another occasion, I might think Judge Bates was overly cautious. That FB post barely touches the surface of this woman's emotion - which is totally understandable under the circumstances. Still, she is something to behold when in full force.

They could always try Pettaway for violating the victims civil rights. Of course, those charges are usually reserved for use against a white perpetrator when the victim is black.

She attacked a sherrif's deputy. (No link, heard straight from a deputy.)

If she attacked a deputy why isn't she in jail?

Still, she is something to behold when in full force.

No kidding. You could put her on stage and change people a dollar a piece to watch her go ballistic.

It was the night the bodies were found. Guess they gave her a little leeway, given the circumstances.

My guess is that the prosecutor never had evidence against Pettaway and merely charged him in the hope that he would roll over on his friend. He did not and the arrangement was then to introduce evidence which, when considered by the prosecutors husband (the judge) would result in a dismissal. Far fetched? Perhaps not.

I don't think that the Clarke dad was charged with breaking and entering for kicking the door.

I thought justread was kidding with the "11 mug shots" comment. Turns out there are 12 pics of this piece of work online:

A find upstanding young man.(rolls eyes) 21 years old with that much of a criminal record.
Like I said, with any luck his criminal ways will get him killed before he hurts anyone else.

Still less mug shots than his anti-drug community organizer stepfather who is holding raffles and getting donations from local businesses to support his brand new unlicensed, undocumented charity "addicted to change."

I wouldn't be so quick to judge someone with an arrest, but we are talking more than 10 arrests a piece for these cats. And were talking endangering others.