UPDATE: ACQUITTED of manslaughter, judge declares mistrial in DWI case...

[Viper GTS]

UPDATE: ACQUITTED of manslaughter charges, deadlocked on other charges, mistrial declared

This is scary:

Drunken driving trial could set precedent

Yes, it probably would have been smarter for him to drive the guy home... But is he really responsible for what happened AFTER he left?

Remind me never to bail out any of my friends.

Viper GTS

 

[Ameesh]

ridicoulous,, as much as i hate drunk drivers, this guy wasnt involved at all. stupid wanker prosecutors.

 

[iamwiz82]

i love America, where the guilt always falls on someone else's shoulders!

 

[csiro]

This case is stupid. What if he went drinking after getting home and he gets in the same accident? Would they charge his friend in that case? Seems like they're simply trying to find a someone to blame for this tragedy. They should let the innocent man go...

 

[ericboo]

It makes no mention of whether or not the idiot was still drunk when his friend bailed him out and let him go on his way, but I hope they don't find him guilty.

So, if someone is released to your care when you bail them out, can you also claim them as a dependent on your tax return.

Completely bogus, and it sounds like they just want to hang someone.

 

[pulse8]

From the way the article makes it sound, the guy's friend was released into his custody, so I think he does hold some responsibility here.

If you cosign for a friend on a car and he defaults on the loan, the bank doesn't care that it's your friend's fault. I think it's a similar situation here.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: ericboo
It makes no mention of whether or not the idiot was still drunk when his friend bailed him out and let him go on his way, but I hope they don't find him guilty.

So, if someone is released to your care when you bail them out, can you also claim them as a dependent on your tax return.

Completely bogus, and it sounds like they just want to hang someone.

He may have been sober by that point, but even if he was he drank more AFTER he was dropped off at his car, before driving home.

Viper GTS

 

[deftron]

I don't think they even let you out of jail drunk...

Don't they have drunk tanks or whatever....


If this guy was let out of jail drunk.. why not blame the sherriff ?


Makes more sense than blaming his friend

 

[308nato]

Originally posted by: deftron
I don't think they even let you out of jail drunk...

Don't they have drunk tanks or whatever....


If this guy was let out of jail drunk.. why not blame the sherriff ?


Makes more sense than blaming his friend

That is exactly what I thought when I first read the story. Hell, Andy never even let Otis out till he was sober.

 

[Dudd]

I doubt his will end in a conviction. At the most, I see a mistrial.

 

[BigPotato]

STUPID!

And the navy ensign's dad wants to see Powell get convicted...it wasn't even powell's fault

geez.........
and why is the jury deadlocked?

 

[crystal]

Originally posted by: BigPotato
STUPID!

And the navy ensign's dad wants to see Powell get convicted...it wasn't even powell's fault

geez.........
and why is the jury deadlocked?

Because the lawer trails the case base on emotions and some juries fall for it.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: BigPotato
STUPID!

And the navy ensign's dad wants to see Powell get convicted...it wasn't even powell's fault

geez.........
and why is the jury deadlocked?

for the same reason mcdonald's was guilty of pouring hot coffee in that woman's lap a decade or so ago

 

[vash]

This trial is all about a scapegoat. The families and DAs want someone to pay and that person to truly pay fir their crimes is dead. What really should be going on is prosecuting the Police department for letting a drunk go, vs. letting them sober up in the typical drunk tank.

Scapegoats are all around, its unfortunate this guy could even face the possibility of being in this bad position.

vash

 

[MrDingleDangle]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: BigPotato
STUPID!

And the navy ensign's dad wants to see Powell get convicted...it wasn't even powell's fault

geez.........
and why is the jury deadlocked?

for the same reason mcdonald's was guilty of pouring hot coffee in that woman's lap a decade or so ago

that was civil though...easier to win...this is criminal

 

[vi edit]

I remember when the charges were brought up a year ago, and the thread accompanying it. Seems that some people from the board have had to bail drunks out of jail and you sign some disclaimer stating that you will take custody of the person and that they are your responsibility.

Well, that's fine and all, but just how far do you have to go to be considered "responsible"? If I bail a buddy out of jail, drive him home, get him to bed, make sure he passes out, and then head back home, isn't my responsibility fullfilled? I think it is. I shouldn't have to sit around his house, and tie him down if he wakes up 3 hours later and wants to go for a drive.

I got him home. My job is over. My responsibility ends there.

There is no case.

 

[Spagina]

When did one adult become the responsibility of another adult, especially in a situation like this. The drunk made his decision to go drinking again, so the blame lays squarely on him. Did they expect his friend to be a psychic mind reader? They don't release the details but his friend may have been sober when released, this is why he may have dropped him off at his own car, but it's not his responsibilty to trail his friend around for a day. What if his friend heads home for 5 minutes, then heads backs out, drinks, and kills himself and someone, would it still be this guys responsibility? This is very shakey and the people on this jury are gullible morons for even posting one vote of guilty.

 

[Vic]

:|
Unfortunately, I can only see this case as another example of unchecked government running amok. Government must be blameless, therefore an innocent bystander must be punished. I'm pretty sure I know why the case is deadlocked too. A good part of the jury either fell for the prosecution's bullsh!t or are apathetic fools just looking to get back to their jobs, but I bet (hope) that in that jury are a couple of patriots who see the long-reaching effects of this case and will die of old age inside that jury room before they allow a guilty verdit.

 

[MrDingleDangle]

Originally posted by: PSYWVic
:|
Unfortunately, I can only see this case as another example of unchecked government running amok. Government must be blameless, therefore an innocent bystander must be punished. I'm pretty sure I know why the case is deadlocked too. A good part of the jury either fell for the prosecution's bullsh!t or are apathetic fools just looking to get back to their jobs, but I bet (hope) that in that jury are a couple of patriots who see the long-reaching effects of this case and will die of old age inside that jury room before they allow a guilty verdit.

how would a couple people voting guilty get them back to their jobs faster?

u have to hope for the sake of mankind that there out of 12 people at least 6 are smart enough to know this is a bullsh*t case

 

[pulse8]

It's not really that much of a bullsh!t case.

The case may not be about whether or not the guy was responsible for his friend because he was released into his custody, so we know he was to be somewhat responsible for him.

The question here is how far does that responsibility go. How far did Powell have to take this responsibility before his friend holds his own? This is for the jury to decide.

Granted, the guy should be responsible enough not to drink and drive, let along twice in the same night, but that's not really reasonable because not everyone is responsible. If the friend didn't want to be responsible for it, then he shouldn't have bailed him out in the first place. I stick to my analogy earlier in the thread with cosigning on a loan. If you don't want to take responsibility if your friend defaults on the loan, then don't sign for it.

 

[vi edit]

I'm sorry, but there is a HUGE difference between cosigning on an auto loan and being held responsible for somebody elses manslaughter charges 3 hours after you took them home. There IS NO comparision between the two. The man who was bailed out of jail was an adult responsible for his own actions. He ALONE should be charged for this.

I personally can't even believe that this made it to criminal court.

 

[Stark]

Well, that's fine and all, but just how far do you have to go to be considered "responsible"?

Driving your drunk friend back to his car is probably not considered responsible by any reasonable human being. The guy was an accessory to murder.

Just like a woman who lets her drunk boyfriend molest her kids... people who assist evil are themselves evil and deserve justice.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I'm sorry, but there is a HUGE difference between cosigning on an auto loan and being held responsible for somebody elses manslaughter charges 3 hours after you took them home. There IS NO comparision between the two. The man who was bailed out of jail was an adult responsible for his own actions. He ALONE should be charged for this.

I personally can't even believe that this made it to criminal court.

He wasn't just bailed out, he was released into his custody. Powell took on the responsibility of his friend's actions when he was released into his custody. If he didn't want that responsibility, he shouldn't have had his friend released into his custody.

I'm not comparing a loan to the manslaughter, I'm comparing the taking on of the repsonsibility of someone else's actions, just like when you cosign on a loan and just like when you sign someone into your custody.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Stark

Well, that's fine and all, but just how far do you have to go to be considered "responsible"?

Driving your drunk friend back to his car is probably not considered responsible by any reasonable human being. The guy was an accessory to murder.

Just like a woman who lets her drunk boyfriend molest her kids... people who assist evil are themselves evil and deserve justice.

Are you forgetting the fact that the guy drank more AFTER he was returned to his vehicle? We have no way of knowing how drunk/sober he was at that point (nor does anybody), but the very fact that he returned to drinking before driving home should eliminate any blame on the man who is now on trial.

Viper GTS

 

[Stark]

Are you forgetting the fact that the guy drank more AFTER he was returned to his vehicle? We have no way of knowing how drunk/sober he was at that point (nor does anybody), but the very fact that he returned to drinking before driving home should eliminate any blame on the man who is now on trial.

So the guy probably took him back to a bar where the car was. He went to the police station to get his buddy who was just picked up for DUI and he takes him back to a bar and leaves. In my book, that's neither being a friend or a responsible human being.

When he went out of his way to go to the police station, he took on a burden of responsibility. If he didn't want to get involved, he never should have bailed his "friend" out. Now he should be held accountable for his horrible judgement.