Thursday, February 23, 2006
The John Defense...
When police are called to an accident scene and find only one person standing beside a wrecked car, it's not uncommon for that person to claim someone else was driving the car and took off after the wreck, never to be seen again. (The likelihood of this claim being made increases in proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed by the person making the claim.) In our office, this is known as "The John Defense," in honor of the first time I'd ever heard a defendant actually name the mystery driver. Frequently, the mystery person has no last name, only the vaguest of descriptions, and despite having just been involved in a serious accident, somehow had the ability to vanish from the scene without leaving a trace, leaving cynical cops to conclude that John was simply a fictional character created to avoid a drunk driving charge.
But I think it should be renamed "The Dietrich Defense" in honor of the man Stefan Eriksson allowed to drive (and wreck) his $1 million Ferrari Enzo at speeds of approximately 120 mph. Granted, Eriksson was above the legal alcohol limit, but still, that's a lot of trust for a guy who hasn't even entrusted you with his last name. For some reason, there appears to be some questions about Dietrich, starting with "does he even exist?"
Tip - Kevin Drum. And points to one of Drum's commenters, for asking the vital question - "Where the heck was Dick Cheney yesterday?" Cause if you say "Dick Cheney" really fast, it kind of sounds like "Dietrich."
But I think it should be renamed "The Dietrich Defense" in honor of the man Stefan Eriksson allowed to drive (and wreck) his $1 million Ferrari Enzo at speeds of approximately 120 mph. Granted, Eriksson was above the legal alcohol limit, but still, that's a lot of trust for a guy who hasn't even entrusted you with his last name. For some reason, there appears to be some questions about Dietrich, starting with "does he even exist?"
Tip - Kevin Drum. And points to one of Drum's commenters, for asking the vital question - "Where the heck was Dick Cheney yesterday?" Cause if you say "Dick Cheney" really fast, it kind of sounds like "Dietrich."
