Last Friday I get request from one of our Felony Attorney's for a RUSH INVESTIGATION! Notice how it's all in capital letters? Yeah, I did it that way because I first received notice that he had a request when I was in the courthouse talking to a witness on another case that I happened to run into. He decided it was a good idea to yell it out to me through the hallways.
This took place about 3:25pm.
3:35pm - I'm up in Mr. Hurry's office listening to his RUSH INVESTIGATION REQUEST. We have an assault case in which our alibi witness has turned up missing. We need to locate this witness by Monday (yup, today), interview her, and subpoena her for the prelim on Monday.
3:50pm - I'm back up in my office getting my shit together, having run a few databases for this witness and printing out a blank subpoena for me to fill out later.
4:00pm - I took off for a planned event I was supposed to be at.
7:00pm - Left planned event after having been manhandled by a sweet lady who swore that she knew me.
8:45pm - Late dinner and drinks with friends.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
1:30am - Sleepy time.
9:00am - Go to the Gym to work off the beer from the night before, then fuck around for a good portion of the day.
5:30pm-8:45pm - I worked the phones and my computer to locate our great witness. I track her down and guess what! She lives very close to me! This is going to be easier than I thought.
8:50pm - I call witness and apologize for the late phone call and explain the situation. I arrange a meeting with her at a cafe very near house the next day.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
8:45am - I get to the cafe a bit early, for some reason I like to be early to things like this. I know what my witness looks like (an attractive teacher), and I don't see her around. No problem, I'm early, I'll wait.
9:30am - Still no teacher and my calls to her home go unanswered. I toss my paper in the recycle bin and head to her house.
9:40am - No sign of the teacher at the house. I canvas the neighbors and find that her car has been gone all morning.
10:05am - Fuck.
10:06am - A neighbor walking his dog, comes up to me in my car writing some notes down and I tell her that I'm looking for the teacher. Most days, if someone comes up to me in my car and asks, "Can I help you?" I usually just tell them, "no," and roll my window back up. I was in a desperate mood though. The neighbor tells me that she is probably at her boyfriends house. Her boyfriend is a cop. "Thank you!" This is getting better and better.
11:30am - I have found the cop boyfriends address and nobody is home. I decide to stop by later after lunch. What? I'm starving!
3:00pm - I go back to the cops house and his car is their right next to his girlfriends. FYI - Cops hate it when you go to their homes for ANYTHING! They'll ask you how you found their house, tell you it's illegal to make contact with them at home, the crap they spew goes on forever. I tell him his girlfriend is a witness in a felony criminal case and he shuts the door on me.
3:05pm - I go out to my car, move it in front of their cars in the driveway and turn on the heater because it's friggin cold! Who knows how long I'll have to wait out here.
3:20pm - Two cruisers pull up behind me and an old crusty looking cop (turns out he is a supervisor) gets out and walks over to my car. I have cold plates which I know he has run through his computer so he knows I'm with some county agency. He asks me what's going on and I tell him I have a subpoena to serve on a witness in the house that his officer his hiding. He asks me how I know she is inside and I tell him that her car is one of the cars that I'm blocking. He laughs and walks up to Officer Friendly who is now standing in his doorway with a stupid smirk on his face.
3:33pm - Officer Friendly's smirk is wiped off his face by his supervising officer. I see Officer Friendly disappear and the Hot Teacher comes outside in some cute pajamas.
3:35pm - Hot Teacher tells me she won't talk to me but takes the subpoena from my hand and says she'll be in court today.
4:00pm - I'm back home and I call the attorney on his phone to tell him the witness is subbed although I wasn't able to talk to her. I feel pretty good about the whole thing.
Monday, March 13, 2006
8:00am - I get to work and there is my Hot Teacher. NOW she talks to me. Says what I want to hear and I call the attorney at his office to pass on the info.
8:30am - In the middle of my quick report, I get a phone call from the attorney which doesn't last longer than a minute, I hang up.
8:45am - I find my Hot Teacher and tell her that the prelim that was scheduled today was ACTUALLY scheduled for NEXT Monday. She is pissed.
Currently - I'm very irritated but have high hopes that the day will end better than it started. For any future public defenders or those that are currently practicing law...Please for the love of Gawd LOOK AT YOUR CALENDARS BEFORE SENDING RUSH REQUESTS!
This took place about 3:25pm.
3:35pm - I'm up in Mr. Hurry's office listening to his RUSH INVESTIGATION REQUEST. We have an assault case in which our alibi witness has turned up missing. We need to locate this witness by Monday (yup, today), interview her, and subpoena her for the prelim on Monday.
3:50pm - I'm back up in my office getting my shit together, having run a few databases for this witness and printing out a blank subpoena for me to fill out later.
4:00pm - I took off for a planned event I was supposed to be at.
7:00pm - Left planned event after having been manhandled by a sweet lady who swore that she knew me.
8:45pm - Late dinner and drinks with friends.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
1:30am - Sleepy time.
9:00am - Go to the Gym to work off the beer from the night before, then fuck around for a good portion of the day.
5:30pm-8:45pm - I worked the phones and my computer to locate our great witness. I track her down and guess what! She lives very close to me! This is going to be easier than I thought.
8:50pm - I call witness and apologize for the late phone call and explain the situation. I arrange a meeting with her at a cafe very near house the next day.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
8:45am - I get to the cafe a bit early, for some reason I like to be early to things like this. I know what my witness looks like (an attractive teacher), and I don't see her around. No problem, I'm early, I'll wait.
9:30am - Still no teacher and my calls to her home go unanswered. I toss my paper in the recycle bin and head to her house.
9:40am - No sign of the teacher at the house. I canvas the neighbors and find that her car has been gone all morning.
10:05am - Fuck.
10:06am - A neighbor walking his dog, comes up to me in my car writing some notes down and I tell her that I'm looking for the teacher. Most days, if someone comes up to me in my car and asks, "Can I help you?" I usually just tell them, "no," and roll my window back up. I was in a desperate mood though. The neighbor tells me that she is probably at her boyfriends house. Her boyfriend is a cop. "Thank you!" This is getting better and better.
11:30am - I have found the cop boyfriends address and nobody is home. I decide to stop by later after lunch. What? I'm starving!
3:00pm - I go back to the cops house and his car is their right next to his girlfriends. FYI - Cops hate it when you go to their homes for ANYTHING! They'll ask you how you found their house, tell you it's illegal to make contact with them at home, the crap they spew goes on forever. I tell him his girlfriend is a witness in a felony criminal case and he shuts the door on me.
3:05pm - I go out to my car, move it in front of their cars in the driveway and turn on the heater because it's friggin cold! Who knows how long I'll have to wait out here.
3:20pm - Two cruisers pull up behind me and an old crusty looking cop (turns out he is a supervisor) gets out and walks over to my car. I have cold plates which I know he has run through his computer so he knows I'm with some county agency. He asks me what's going on and I tell him I have a subpoena to serve on a witness in the house that his officer his hiding. He asks me how I know she is inside and I tell him that her car is one of the cars that I'm blocking. He laughs and walks up to Officer Friendly who is now standing in his doorway with a stupid smirk on his face.
3:33pm - Officer Friendly's smirk is wiped off his face by his supervising officer. I see Officer Friendly disappear and the Hot Teacher comes outside in some cute pajamas.
3:35pm - Hot Teacher tells me she won't talk to me but takes the subpoena from my hand and says she'll be in court today.
4:00pm - I'm back home and I call the attorney on his phone to tell him the witness is subbed although I wasn't able to talk to her. I feel pretty good about the whole thing.
Monday, March 13, 2006
8:00am - I get to work and there is my Hot Teacher. NOW she talks to me. Says what I want to hear and I call the attorney at his office to pass on the info.
8:30am - In the middle of my quick report, I get a phone call from the attorney which doesn't last longer than a minute, I hang up.
8:45am - I find my Hot Teacher and tell her that the prelim that was scheduled today was ACTUALLY scheduled for NEXT Monday. She is pissed.
Currently - I'm very irritated but have high hopes that the day will end better than it started. For any future public defenders or those that are currently practicing law...Please for the love of Gawd LOOK AT YOUR CALENDARS BEFORE SENDING RUSH REQUESTS!
Hmmm, I think I feel better now.
3 comments:
"Please for the love of Gawd LOOK AT YOUR CALENDARS BEFORE SENDING RUSH REQUESTS!"
Amen to that!!!!!!!!!
haaaa. Officer Friendly and PJS. damn.
Yes!! I cannot tell you how many RUSH REQUESTS I have gotten, that have to be done RIGHT NOW, that the atty then doesn't bother to follow up on because the trial isn't for three weeks anyway. Kind of different, but same idea. Luckily, as one working a private practice, I can charge extra for these requests. Really cuts down on the urgency.
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