Thursday, March 12, 2009

Case-killing comment?

Did you read the article on Page 3C of today's Northwest Herald about the Island Lake man arrested on three felony harassment charges? Marc Carder, 48, claims to have received text messages from a girl by whom he was accused in 2007 of sexual abuse (when she was 15). Read the article and try to follow exactly what is supposed to have happened.

According to the article, Carder's attorney is the one who reported the text messages received. Now, that's a smart move by a person who believes he has received messages from someone who has charges against him. This one of the reason defendants have attorneys - so they don't unintentionally commit a crime.

Who got arrested after an investigation? Marc Carder.

But what got my attention in the article was a comment by McHenry County Sheriff's Lt. Andy Zinke. "It sounds like he (Carder) was trying to frame the victim and make it look like she was out to harm him."

In order for a person to be considered "innocent until found guilty" and to get a fair trial, why is a lieutenant at the sheriff's department making any statement at all? He ought to be keeping his mouth shut, after an arrest is made. Anything he has to say in the case should be said only in court and only under oath.

The 2007 case apparently has not reached trial yet. The article reports no court dates for that case or for the new one. Might be good ones to follow.

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