No Morss!
Jasper M was a down-on-his-luck, unemployed, disheveled, homeless, drug addict. He had been in and out of jail for one drug offense after another. He was an addict for as long back as he could remember. He was also a favorite target for officers looking to arrest someone.
On a cool October night, an officer claimed to have seen Jasper drop a crack pipe. Upon detaining and searching Jasper, the officer claimed that he found a crack rock within his cap. Jasper was charged with possession of cocaine and was facing five years in prison. Normally, someone like Jasper would just confess to the charge and enjoy their respite, at taxpayers expense, in the confines of some prison somewhere in Florida. This time however, Jasper fought the charge, protesting his innocence and growing weariness of abuse and targeting by the police.
At trial, I harped on how preposterous it was for the officer to claim to have seen Jasper drop a crack pipe on a dark street without any lighting, without the use of a flashlight or any other illuminating device. In the end, I think that Jasper’s testimony, about how he always copped out to every crime he’s ever committed and did his time, but was not going to accept responsibility for an offense he did not commit, swayed the jury. Jasper was found Not Guilty and he walked out of the courtroom.
