YouBoob! When social media and common sense collide in Court
This YouTube video led to a wrong-way drivers arrest and later to his car being crushed as punishment. Obviously, the Judge was not amused.
Today’s wrong-way interstate driver news stories include an ill-attempted escape from police that was posted on YouTube by his friends, who stand there laughing as they film what could have ended in a head-on crash. But it appears the judge had the last laugh when he makes his own comments when sentencing the youthful driver and the local authorities later crushed his car as part of the punishment.
Crushed his car?
That’s an interesting twist on how to draw attention to drinking, driving and heading the wrong-way on the interstate highway system.
See the video – Boy Racer Banned And Given An Eight-Month Suspended Sentence and see Colseshill Police Chase
Probably not, but in this case it did. A lawyer friend asked why this lawyer’s license was suspended for 30 days over a lousy 500 bucks. I suspect it was not the oversight about the $500 fee that drew the Court’s ire. Simply put it’s not the $500 mistake; the bigger problem is not responding to their attempts to contact the lawyer to rectify the mistake.
Many a photograph have been excluded under state and federal rules of evidence as a subsequent remedial measure, but not in Maiers vs Gansen and Estate of Gansen, No. 1-1006/11/11567 (Filed February 15, 2012 Iowa Ct. of Appeals). This appellate decision reviews a lower court evidentiary ruling and damages of $191,916.20 for injuries suffered on a public sidewalk for a trip and fall. The accident happened on September 26, 2007 and the photographs of the sidewalk were taken sometime during November 2007.
This story from KCRG, they seem to have a lot of interesting stories this week, drew a two month sentence from U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett. What started out as a side business selling Viagra allegedly manufactured in India, lead to charges being filed in Iowa’s criminal system of justice.
TIWI is an electronic device (
The Iowa State Patrol’s investigation is complete and the conclusion is another teen has died due to situational blindness brought on by distracted driving. The report concludes this 17-year old was 
I’ve taken a week off from blogging to catch up on legal work for paying clients. We’ve been busy settling cases and taking depositions. But that week is in the books and we move down the road along I-80 and I-35 still watching what is going on with the icy weather and who is crashing, colliding, rolling over and driving the wrong-way on the interstate highways across the country. Today we have a slew of wrong-way collisions; unfortunately the numbers of wrong-way Interstate highway events aren’t slowing down. It seems to me the numbers are increasing although the causes haven’t really changed much. At the end of this blog of news items I’ll list the firm’s lists to help you understand the cause, who is likely to drive the wrong way and how to protect you and your family from the devastating consequences of wrong-way drivers. Let’s get busy because the list today is very long.
Another form of surveillance – The airport body scanner
Yesterday I wrote about two local cases having to do with video evidence taken by third parties that could prove helpful in solving crime and quite usefull in the civil cases that will probably follow. Today we continue on with how cameras are being used locally to aid law enforcement and the courts to resolve what might otherwise be unresolved.
Standing falsely accused of felony assault in the severe beating of a man in a bar the video surveillance footage from Johnny’s Hall of Fame cleared the one man and now sends Des Moines Police looking for another man. The defense lawyer hired a private investigator that obtained the footage from the tavern. After police and prosecutors watched the video tape charges against the accused were dropped. Instead of accusing the wrong man they now are looking for a cage fighter. Watch the video to see how impressive this kind of evidence is in providing the defendant is the wrong guy. See 
What came first the chicken or the egg? That question debates the existence of a God. And in Iowa we never shy away from a discussion about religion, and so lately we Iowans are attempting to unscramble that which cannot be resolved by asking a similar question about guns: Are we safer with or without handguns?
Iowa’s Workers’ Compensation Commission is gay; there is no questioning that fact. He’s also doing a good job running the agency; there is no doubt about that fact. But for reasons that remain unexplained the Governor says otherwise. The Governor reduced Godfrey’s salary claiming his actions are slowing up Iowa’s economic recovery. But that can't be true; even the Iowa Economic Development Commission doesn’t agree with the Governor. The EDC touts the workers compensation laws in Iowa as a positive attribute of doing business in this state. 
Question: What can I do if I am caught driving without a license again? I was in an accident; I do not have a license. Took a chance to get back and work. I have been caught before and this will make it my third felony driving while suspended. The ticket written was only for not providing a license, what can I do?