We wrote a couple months ago about the APD bait car fiasco. A couple – who had previously called the police about a suspicious vehicle parked in front of their house with the keys in the ignition – had been told that they shouldn’t worry about it. They decided after a few weeks to break in to make sure that there wasn’t a “body in the trunk”, because there were some pretty strange elements there, like a woman’s bikini top, men’s work boots, a length of rope, and broken glass. They investigated – remember, after the police told them that it was no big deal – and were arrested shortly thereafter. Surprise! That was a bait car! They were just trying to see who’d break the law if a car with the keys in the ignition and a heap of suspicious attributes was sitting parked in front of their house for a couple weeks!

Anyway, yesterday, all charges were dismissed in the case. The couple in question can go about their lives more-or-less the same as they did before this nonsense occurred – and it is nonsense. The “more or less” comes into play because, despite the dismissal, they do still have to pay attorney’s fees, both for defending the charge and for the expunctions that they’re now seeking in the case. And it’ll be awhile before those charges are actually expunged, so here’s hoping that neither of them need to find a new job or a place to live in the meantime. But at least we know that, if we leave our cars parked with the keys in the ignition in front of a strange house for weeks with broken glass and various items that sure make it look like maybe somebody was killed and their car was dumped, the police will – well, not actually investigate, but they’ll be happy to arrest anyone who enters the vehicle in an attempt to make sure that everything’s okay. What’s inconveniencing a couple of people to the tune of a few thousand dollars in the face of security like that?

Labels: APD, bait cars, expunctions

posted by Dan   permalink   0 Comments