MAN DROWNS IN COURT
About fifteen minutes ago a man ran from Judge Imperato's 7th floor courtroom. He was to be taken into custody for a revoked bond. He ran down the stairwell. He was chased by law enforcement. He got outside, took his shirt off, and dove into a canal. He never came back up, and is reported to have drowned.
The man's name is John Ross. Charged with Aggravated Battery Deadly Weapon in 08010516CF10A and Domestic Battery in 08012915MM10A. He turned 29 in December.
Dive teams are currently in the water...
BSO says fugitive presumed drowned in New River
*South Florida Times: Elijah Williams Joins Urban League Board*
*Westside Gazette: The Joseph V. Conte Spiritual Learning Program (SLP)*
*NYT: A Steppingstone for Law’s Best and Brightest *
*NYT: Billable Hours Giving Ground at Law Firms*
*Medical marijuana raid raises question: What's Obama policy?*
The man's name is John Ross. Charged with Aggravated Battery Deadly Weapon in 08010516CF10A and Domestic Battery in 08012915MM10A. He turned 29 in December.
Dive teams are currently in the water...
BSO says fugitive presumed drowned in New River
*South Florida Times: Elijah Williams Joins Urban League Board*
*Westside Gazette: The Joseph V. Conte Spiritual Learning Program (SLP)*
*NYT: A Steppingstone for Law’s Best and Brightest *
*NYT: Billable Hours Giving Ground at Law Firms*
*Medical marijuana raid raises question: What's Obama policy?*
This reminds me of an incident that happened to me while I was crabbing with my uncle. Guy was running from police, ran down the pier we were crabbing off of, and jumped into the water. There was a bridge about 15-20 feet away from the pier and he was sucked under by the undertow.
tragedy
Why is this a tragedy? This idiot was running away from police. I think that this is a risk that you take when you try to escape from a courthouse and dive into a river. The real tragedy would have been if he killed someone during his escape.
...he is still underwater breathing through a reed.
he probably got away and bso can't admit one of its 80 year old bailiffs blew it
Why did he run? I would hardly call it "drowning in court". That's what he gets.
i'd like to know which of the deputies jumped into the river after him. if roz were still around, there would be NO WAY she'd get away from her travel reservations desk and chase after him.
An escape? With that headline I assumed that another pipe burst.
I can think of other judges that would have made this guy do this more than Imperato.
Hope Williams does a better job on the Urban League Board than he did on the Diversity Committee. Oh, yeah, there is no Diversity Committee now.
Why run for a canal when the powers that be would have you believe you could drown from all the burst pipes right inside the courthouse. But that's only when they have a meeting coming up on the issue of shoving a new courthouse down the throats of the tax payers on a bond issue.
What are all the cops running around the courthouse for? Any idea?
Imperato is known to slam defendants
reminds me of a recent case where a high-speed chase ensued where driver has brake lts out.
After hitting a cop (who rolled over windshield), and 7 or 8 crimes later, upon being stopped ... turns out ... this guy just had NVDL and some pot.
Thanks Satz. Your draconian "treat it like murder" approach to DL and pot crimes causes people to flee for their lives - and endanger others, too.
please retire.
Should be titled "Man chooses drowning rather than face Broward Judge".
"i'd like to know which of the deputies jumped into the river after him. if roz were still around, there would be NO WAY she'd get away from her travel reservations desk and chase after him."
Ha Ha!
Natural selection.
Ya know, I was going to mockingly ask when someone was going to somehow blame this on Satz, but then along comes 3:50pm. Thanks! I hope you're being ironic!
If you think that he drowned, check out the ending of Bourne Ultimatum....
I doubt if he really drowned. I have known a lot of criminals in my time and I am sure he planned this escape for some time. I'll bet deputies did not jump in that river after him.
Dear Judge Imperato:
I will begin by saying that the only thing I know about John Ross is what I read in the Herald (Miami) this morning. But that matters not, because he a but a metaphor or a symbol for what is wrong with you as a judge—and I use the small case “j” intentionally, you do not deserve a capital letter. What he (Mr. Ross) says today from the grave is that, in case you did not recall, your actions have consequences--and as you saw yesterday sometimes dire and immediate consequences. The sad part is that judges like you have forgotten the awesome responsibility that you have to do as little harm as is necessary, and maybe you try to do some good. When you cavalierly and callously revoke a bond or refuse to exercise even a little bit of discretion, you cheapen the robe you have been granted the "honor" of wearing. Do not hide behind what I am sure will be your response that “the defendant (you love the anonymity of saying defendant) who jumped in the river was not pushed by YOU”; well, in a symbolic way he was. You see, I have been in your courtroom and you are not nice, to put it mildly; and that matters. There is a way to take a person into custody and there is the way you and others in that horrible fiefdom do it, with disdain and contempt for the defendants and their families and loved ones. You, Judge Imperato, need to look in the mirror and understand that you bear some responsibility for that young man's death as much as the judge who gives a defendant a 25 year sentence when the State is asking for 8. Shame be upon both of you (no all of you), and let Mr. Ross stand as a symbol of all the destruction and havoc that you and others like you visit upon poor and defenseless people every single solitary day. I suggest his family or maybe the members of this blog erect a small sign near the spot at the river where he jumped in to remind you and others of the destruction that you are wreaking upon the citizens of Broward County.
Regards,
South of the Border
Mr. Ross was a danger to the community because of his multiple arrests. Community safety greatly outweighed his freedom. The Judge is accountable to the masses as well. If he valued his freedom he would not be in situations where he's getting arrested when he's already out on bond. No doubt the next crime he would have committed wouldve been on you, someone you know or some random stranger. He may be innocent until proven guilty but thank God everybody really knows thats BS. John Ross is responsible for all of his own choices. Im not saying he deserved to die for them but this is what poor decision making yields. If you cant make your own lawful decisions, they will be made for you.
Yeah, and if she had exercised discretion and not revoked bond (for a guy with two pending violent charges) and he went out and hurt someone else, that would also be her fault, right?
http://criminaldefenseblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-am-not-going-to-jail-today.html
If you think Imperato is heartless, I suggest you read this
If you are going to blame this on the Judge and not the retard who ran than you are too dumb to live (just like the idiot who jumped into the river) One less scumbag on the street as far as I'm concerned. This is a good submission for the Darwin Awards.
I did not say that she was heartless, just cold-hearted. I read Brian Tanebaum's comments and they do not change my opinion of the way that Judges dispense (and often dispose) justice. If Judge Imperato felt bad, that would be justified, and I would hope she does. If she is changed by this, then that is also nothing but a good thing--because she needs to change. And I guess that was the point of my earlier post. Anyone who sentences others to prison (or worse death) should do so with a heavy heart and not with sarcasm and disrespect.
if the judge was out standing on the dock, it was not as if she was helping to try and find the guy.
it was a publicity stunt. plain and simple.
she's a good judge, by Broward standards, but I think she just wanted to make it look as if she cared.
If this Defendant had gotten into a fatal car accident while fleeing from the police, would you still be blaming the Judge? What if a "real" innocent person had been killed? Would you blame the Judge if he fled home, did a bunch of drugs under the stress of his court appearance and accidentally overdosed? Please...personal responsibility people!!!!
Must have thought drowning was definitely preferable to appearing before Imperato.
spechler-hollander spores have permeated the federal courthouse .