Page 8 - IAV Digital Magazine #473

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Manof ThePeopleWinsLegal
Battle To Prove That His McDonald's
Hash Brown Was Not A Phone
By Jason Hahn
We've heard of phones taking potato photos, but phones being mistaken for a potato-based breakfast food is another story — one that now exists. A man in Connecticut spent his own money and 13 months of his life to prove in court that a police offi- cer gave him a $300 distracted- driving ticked for merely eating a McDonald's hash brown while at the wheel. On Friday, a judge found Jason Stiber not guilty, bringing an end to what the defendant's attor- ney called "the case of the cen- tury."
On April 11th, 2018, Stiber was pulled over by Westport Police Cpl. Shawn Wong Won, who testified that he saw Stiber mov- ing his lips as he held an object resembling a cell- phone to his face while driving.
Stiber's lawyer, John Thygerson, countered by say- ing those lip movements were "consistent with chewing" the hash brown his client purchased at a McDonald's immediately before he was pulled over.
Stiber also made a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to acquire records showing that Wong was on the 15th hour of a 16- hour double shift and may have had less-than- ideal judgment when he pulled Stiber over. The judge concluded that the state did- n't bring forth enough evidence to show that
Stiber was, indeed, on his phone while driv- ing.
In the end, this outcome took two trials and more than a year to come by, and it cost Stiber legal fees exceeding the $300 ticket and four days of missed work. But he has no regrets: "That’s why I did it, because I would- n’t want anyone else to go through this. Other people don’t have the means to defend themselves in the same way." A true hero for anyone who wants to enjoy a hash brown on the go without fear of being pulled over.
Grandma (85) Caught With 60 grams of Cannabis In Her Bra
By Oziga
An 85-year-old grandmother from
Seqeudin, France , had to appear in court after agents discovered nearly 60 grams of cannabis in her bra. She wanted to smuggle the drugs into the prison for her grandson.
Paulette L. (85) was a bit nervous when she had to explain to the judge. “I haven’t been sleeping for a few days,” she said. On July 5,
2018, agents dis- covered that the woman had stuffed no less than 58 grams of cannabis into her bra. According to Paulette, she only wanted to do good for her grandson, who was in prison. “He begged for it,” she said. “He told me he would hurt himself.”
The young man is said to be addicted and was put under pres- sure by other prisoners. “He means everything to me,” said the
woman, who is on the bus for an hour each week to visit him. She’s the only one he gets a visit from. “Just the idea that he was in danger was unbearable for her,” her lawyer said.
The woman was found guilty but received no pun- ishment – partly because she still had a blank crim- inal record. Her grandson, on the other hand, received 10 months extra jail time.