A Tale of Two Judges - Resnick & O'Donnell

[zbdent]

Okay, here's what happened.

Ohio Supreme Court Judge Alice Robie Resnick was stopped while driving her car erratically. Resnick refused to comply with the officer and pulled out. This led the officer to pull her over again. She was found to be intoxicated. She is rightly being punished.

Right-wing radio (at least in Cleveland) can't get enough of this story. "Where's the cries of MADD?" was one Conservative Democrat talk show host in Akron. (BTW, I heard him squawking about this, plus the Pizza assault guy - everything is to be blamed on the liberals - more on a view on the pizza shop guy in another post).

Resnick is the only Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Remember that.

Now, this morning, I wake up to my wife's favorite radio station. Said Akron station has a wingnut morningshow guy who has been there forever (but is only about 5 years older than me). Since 1999, according to him, George Bush and the Republicans can do no wrong. Dems are evil. Etc. The usual Repuke BS.

Imagine my surprise this morning. He's ridiculing an Ohio Supreme Court judge - Terrence O'Donnell. (Remember, Resnick was the only Dem in the Ohio Supreme court!).

How much did OJ Simpson have in his white Ford Bronco? Wasn't it $15K?

Anyway, O'Donnell was in the Flats (for those not in the Cleveland area, that's what used to be the happening bar scene) for a party in his honor. Surprisingly, the only vehicle broken into that night was - Ohio Supreme Court Justice Terrence O'Donnell's. How much was stolen? Well, more than what OJ had. $18,000 in cash.

TO was saying that he had some personal issues that he had to clear up. He also claimed that he had withdrawn the money earlier for whatever reason. (Seems to me that there's a bit of an IRS law that states about cash transactions and reporting them if the amount is above, oh, say $5k)

Radio guy, surprisingly, is bringing up some very valid points. Why was O'Donnell running around with $18K in his car? Usually, that amount of money is payoff for a bookie, according to Radio Guy.

Actually, a few lines of thought occurred to me. Let's see:

TO just received a bribe - but wouldn't that be strange to report as stolen?

TO was paying off a bribe - and, to take down his blackmailer, "breaks into his own car" to cover the tracks and nail a blackmailer?

TO was getting ready to pay a drug dealer?

TO had just met with a representative of a fundraiser?

Hmmm. This would be fun, but the only snippet I heard was on Mrs. ZBDent's station. No screaming news break on the "News Station" in Cleveland (although I did hear about the Pope), nor have I found any reference to O'Donnell in either of the "Liberal" media elite outlets, the Plain Dealer or the Akron Beacon Journal.

Waiting to see how this develops . . .

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1. Good story, zbdent

It will be interesting to see where this leads. Now if we could just find a reporter who would want to cover it. 18K left in a car in the Flats; that is just plain stupid. There has to be more to this story.

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2. More on the story from Dayton Daily News

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0224justiceweb.html


Thieves steal $18,000 from justice's car

By William Hershey
Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS | – Ohio Supreme Court Justice Terrence O'Donnell said Thursday it was a "terrible and costly mistake on my part" not to go directly to the bank to deposit $18,000 in cash that he reported stolen in Cleveland last week from his state-assigned car.

In a written statement, O'Donnell said he was the victim of the Feb. 16 theft in the Flats area of Cleveland while he was attending a dinner where he was honored as the 2004 Alumnus of the Year by St. Edward High School.

"After dinner, I found my car had been broken into and immediately called the police," O"Donnell said. "... This money was to be deposited into my checking account to pay for repairs and other costs associated with damage on our family cottage."

He added that "obviously I have lost a great deal of money, and it was a dumb and costly mistake on my part not to go directly to the bank to deposit it." (more)

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3. and juicy details from the Plain Dealer

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1109241262221150.xml


"I filed a timely police report, listing items of personal property taken, including money accumulated from my personal savings," the statement said. "The matter is currently under investigation and I am confident in the authorities handling these matters."

His confidence might not be warranted. Police took no fingerprints.

Police spokesman Lt. Wayne Drummond said he didn't know why this investigative step was skipped, but lacking this evidence reduces the chances that police will collar the thief.

The police report noted that O'Donnell's car is insured by the state of Ohio. But Supreme Court spokesman Chris Davey said O'Donnell cannot file an insurance claim with the state because the money belonged to the justice, not the state.

O'Donnell paid $190 to have the window repaired and has asked the state to reimburse him, Davey said. The justice didn't say why he was carrying so much cash, Davey said.