Presumed Innocent

Criminal charges filed against Chicago's top DUI cop

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:41:00 -0500

Criminal charges filed against Chicago's top DUI cop :

John Haleas, a Chicago Police officer, has been charged with multiple counts of perjury, obstructing justice and official misconduct.

Haleas had been recognized a number of times for being the top DUI cop in the state - he made the most DUI arrests a few years running.

But it turns out that Haleas was just another in a long string of corrupt cops. Haleas, the charges state, would arrest a person for DUI and then simply lie and fabricate evidence at their trial. Over 150 DUI cases that Haleas was involved with have been dismissed completely. And many of the cases where the defendant was found guilty are now being looked at as well.

We may never know exactly how many innocent people were put in jail by this lying, corrupt cop. But the city of Chicago will most certainly be sued for millions of dollars by the innocent people that this bad cop put in jail.

Please visit my Law Firm’s website: www.AppelmanCriminalDefense.com

Bush Demands That Everybody Must Name Names...

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:08:00 -0500

Bush Demands That Everybody Must Name Names...:

In yet another blow to our dwindling civil rights, the Bush administration has decided they do not like the proposed law that would protect journalists from being compelled to name their sources.

Much to the dismay of the Bushies plenty of administration insiders have divulged information to the press over the last 8 years. These “leaks” have led to a number of embarrassing events for the administration. So they have decided that they can scare all potential information sources by forcing their names to become public.

The administration is demanding that every time a story about their corruption or failures comes out, the reporter who wrote it get hauled into court and be forced to name their sources. This is a direct attack on the ability of the free press to write about governmental abuses. This was the reason the First Amendment speaks about the right to a Free Press. Back in England King George didn’t want the truth about him put in the papers.

Now we have a new King George, but now we have laws that are supposed to protect us from him and his ilk.

Write or call your senator. Let them know that the freedom of the press is much more important than allowing Bush and his cronies to hide their abuses and criminal behavior.

Please visit my law firm’s website: www.AppelmanCriminalDefense.com

A year after pet food recall, still buyer beware - Creature...

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:50:00 -0500

A year after pet food recall, still buyer beware - Creature Comforts- msnbc.com

The FDA and other governmental agencies really put on a big show last year when the contaminated pet food outbreak occurred. There were lots of promises of tougher enforcement of regulations on the pet food industry, as well as stronger government oversight.

Well, one year later nothing much has changed. Sure, there was legislation passed that toughened the rules for pet food factories, and stronger regulations of imported pet foods. But the laws that were passed made reporting of any violations, as well as recalls, VOLUNTARY. So if the pet food company does not want to disclose a contamination they simply won’t disclose it, and won’t pull the contaminated food off of store shelves. The FDA has no power under these new “tougher” laws to recall the food.

Why bother passing the legislation if it truly has “no teeth”?

The legislation needs to make reporting contamination mandatory, and should include surprise inspections by the FDA in all the pet food factories. Just look at Pebbles in the photo above. Pebbles died, slowly, of kidney failure due to the contaminated food she ate last year. That poor dog is proof enough that we need a tougher law to regulate this industry.

Baseball star faces FBI inquiry

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:17:00 -0600

Baseball star faces FBI inquiry:

Well, I for one am extremely happy that the FBI is spending some of its limited resources investigating this dangerous criminal.

It is comforting to know that even though our country is currently at war; even though there are kidnappers, murderers, terrorist groups and many other assorted violent offenders out on our streets; the federal government has decided that a baseball player cheating merits a huge expenditure of funds.

Starving children? Can’t afford to help them.

AIDS epidemic? Kids on drugs? Too expensive to deal with.

Whether or not Roger Clemens shot himself full of HGH so he could pitch another no-hitter? Priceless.

(on a side note - I am not so convinced that Clemens actually took steroids. It’s a case of a disgraced former trainer making claims to sell a book I am sure he is trying to hock right now)

I have joined Technorati.com

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:01:00 -0600

Technorati Profile

Go to Technorati.com. It is a fantastic site that helps keep you up to date with the latest news and opinions in the blogosphere.

I subscribe to a few blogs that deal with criminal justice, running a law firm and politics.

Cop has to pay $18,000 for arresting firefighter trying to help an accident victim

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:00:00 -0600

Cop has to pay $18,000 for arresting firefighter trying to help an accident victim:

While there are plenty of very hard-working and very honorable police offers out there, the few bad ones really seem to create a big mess.

In this case a Fire Department Captain stops the fire truck on a highway to rescue a driver injured in a crash.

While he is in the middle of helping the injured driver a cop pulls up and tells him to move the fire truck. The cop refuses to let this Fireman tend to the victim and proceeds to arrest him in the middle of him giving medical treatment to the injured driver.

The Fireman not only has all the charges against him dropped, but the cop gets fired. Then the cop gets sued, and loses. Badly.

The cop is ordered to pay the Fireman $18,000 in damages.

The best part of the story is that this cop had a history of being abusive, and was still on the police force. Now the city (Taxpayers) will have to foot the bill for this man who had no business being a cop in the first place.

The Official Web site for Illinois Secretary of State

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:29:00 -0600

The Official Web site for Illinois Secretary of State: If you need to check on your driver’s license status or any other vehicle related issue this is the place to start.

Appelman Criminal Defense LLC

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:24:00 -0600

Appelman Criminal Defense LLC: The link to my law firm’s website. Come check us out!

New Blog

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:22:00 -0600

Today I created this blog to keep us up to date on issues that matter, in the justice system and beyond.

Issues like Supreme Court opinions, Legal news and personal observations on the world we live in and the political climate of the US.

I hope you enjoy this blog and, you never know, you just might learn something!

Brett Appelman