Joe Francis of ‘Girls Gone Wild’ gets 270 days for assault, imprisonment
“Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis was sentenced Tuesday to 270 days in jail and three years’ probation for an assault and false imprisonment of three women.
As part of the sentence, he must also complete a year of psychological counseling.
Francis was convicted of five charges — three counts of false imprisonment, one of dissuading a witness from reporting and one of assault causing great bodily injury — stemming from a Jan. 29, 2011, incident.
The judge handed down the sentence after denying Francis’ lawyer’s motion for a new trial based on claims that one of the accusers lied during the trial and the three women went willingly to the home and were never falsely imprisoned.
The judge told Francis the women “were very credible” and he deserved to be punished by some time in custody and needed anger management for his “temper.” He was ordered held in lieu of $250,000.
“Whether a celebrity or not, you will be held accountable for your misdeeds,” City Atty. Carmen A. Trutanich said in a statement. “The victims in this case should be commended for their courage in stepping forward and reporting these attacks, and for not being intimidated from seeing this matter through the justice system.”
The victims told police they had gone to the Supper Club in Hollywood to celebrate a college graduation and had a brief conversation with Francis.
At closing time, Francis grabbed one of the women by the hand and took her to his limo. The two other women followed, believing Francis would give them a lift to their car.
But during the ride, Francis’ bodyguard and driver allegedly produced sheriff’s badges and did not allow the women to get out of the limo.
The group was taken to Francis’ gated home, where a physical altercation ensued between Francis and two of the women as he allegedly attempted to pull one of them away from the others, authorities said.
Francis grabbed one of the women by the throat and hair and pushed and slammed her head into the tile floor four times, according to authorities.
The women were escorted out of the house and allegedly told a taxi would not be called and paid for if they called the police. Authorities said Francis threatened the women if they called police.
While in a taxi driving back to Hollywood, the women called 911 and met LAPD officers where their car was parked. The results of the investigation were forwarded to the city attorney’s office for prosecution.
Faith in the Trust Act
In vetoing a bill last year that would have curtailed some deportations under the federal program known as Secure Communities, Gov. Jerry Brown explained that he feared it would block immigration authorities from removing some genuinely dangerous criminals.
Now, a newbill is moving through the Legislature, and it attempts to fix the problems of its predecessor. That bill, known as the Trust Act, would still allow police to hold immigrants convicted of serious crimes, including some misdemeanors, for up to 48 hours while they await transfer to federal custody. But it would prohibit police from detaining those arrested for minor offenses — such as disturbing the peace, street vending or traffic violations — solely for immigration purposes. That’s an important change that has earned the support of local police chiefs and sheriffs who worry that Secure Communities is forcing police to act as immigration agents.
Initially billed as a powerful tool that allowed federal officials to target immigrants convicted of serious crimes, Secure Communities requires state and local police to provide the fingerprints of anyone arrested to federal officials. Those fingerprints are then checked against criminal and immigration databases. That sounds fine in theory. In practice, however, the program has failed to distinguish between violent felons and street vendors. Since the program began, thousands of noncriminals have been deported, and more than 3,000 U.S. citizens have been detained,sometimes for weeks or months, on immigration holds known as detainers.
In general, it is both unwise and unconstitutional for states to meddle in immigration law, which is the province of the federal government. In this case, however, the cooperation of the states is being sought by the federal government, and states are attempting to comply in ways that fulfill the government’s stated objective: to focus deportation efforts on those who pose a risk to public safety.
Last year, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck announced he would no longer comply with the federal requests for those arrested for minor convictions. His decision followed similar responses from officials in Cook County, Ill.; Newark, N.J.; and New Orleans. Beck, like other police chiefs and sheriffs across the country, worries that Secure Communities erodes immigrants’ willingness to cooperate with police. In a recent study by the University of Illinois at Chicago, 44% of Latinos interviewed said they would be less likely to contact police officers if they were the victims of a crime because they feared any interaction with police might lead officers to ask about their immigration status or that of family members.
Brown was understandably concerned about the previous iteration of this bill. With its problems fixed, however, he should sign it.
Delbert Belton’s death: 2 Spokane teens to be tried as adults
Authorities released new details Monday about two teenage boys who are charged with the murder of Delbert Belton, an 88-year-old World War II veteran, in Spokane, Wash., saying the motive of the attack was robbery, and that family members helped lead police to their second suspect.
Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub, at a news conference Monday that was streamed live online, said suspects Demetrius Glenn and Kenan Adams-Kinard, both 16, have been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery.
Glenn turned himself in last week and Adams-Kinard was arrested early Monday morning.
“Today, I would like to assure our community that the two individuals we believe were responsible for the robbery and murder of Mr. Belton have been taken into custody,” Straub said.
Both teens will be charged as adults, according to Lenna England, secretary for the gang unit of the Spokane County prosecuting attorney’s office, which is handling the case.
Each was being held in lieu of $2-million bail, England told the Los Angeles Times.
At the news conference, Straub urged Spokane and other cities across the country to support what he called “a very troubled group of young people.”
“One of these individuals was pretty much a standout basketball player — and because nobody wrapped their arms around him, nobody cared enough about him, he’s now going to face murder and robbery charges,” Straub said. “And, probably, he’s looking at the rest of his life being significantly affected — if not destroyed — by this.”
Three other juveniles were arrested in connection with Adams-Kinard, who went into hiding after Wednesday’s attack on Belton. All three are charged with “rendering criminal assistance to evade police apprehension,” Straub said.
Witnesses first called police shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday to report an assault outside Eagles Lodge, a popular gathering spot where Belton liked to play pool.
Officers arrived to find Belton, still in his car, suffering from serious head injuries. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.
Straub said Belton was “in a parking lot … waiting for a friend” when he was attacked. Authorities found Belton’s wallet in the immediate vicinity, he said, and money had been taken.
“Our information is that the individual fought back — and that may have made this a worse situation,” Straub said, referring to the severity of Belton’s injuries. “I’m not being critical of Mr. Belton. I would encourage individuals to fight back, and he should have, but it shouldn’t have happened to begin with, right? But I think a robbery just got worse.”
Police were “still looking into” whether the two suspects committed any other crimes that night, Straub said.
After the attack, police released photos of the suspects taken from surveillance cameras. Glenn turned himself in by Thursday night and police then asked for the public’s help in finding Adams-Kinard, issuing a release with the teen’s name and mug shot.
Straub said Monday that family members pleaded with Adams-Kinard to turn himself in, and helped police find him. The teenager was taken into custody around 3 a.m. Monday “without incident,” Straub said.
Straub noted that both suspects “had previous arrests and convictions,” and that “there are other pieces of the investigation … that would allow us to charge first-degree murder.”
“We’re confident we’ve built a very strong case against both individuals,” he said.
Hours after Adams-Kinard was arrested, the victim’s daughter-in-law said that she hoped the teenagers involved would “pay the consequences” for their “horrendous” actions.
Barbara Belton told The Times that she knew police would eventually find the teenager.
“When people commit a crime they need to be arrested and tried and sentenced for the crime they have committed,” Belton said. “I hope this will happen.”
“You can’t go around beating people to death and think it’s OK and not pay any consequences. They need to pay the consequences of their action, which was horrendous.”
A candlelight vigil was held for Belton on Friday night outside the Eagles Ice-A-Rena, next to the Eagles Lodge. Over the weekend, the memorial that had sprung up Thursday grew, and the local community began rallying to raise money to help the WWII veteran’s family.
A military funeral for Belton is scheduled for noon Thursday at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane.
Another city employee accuses Bob Filner of sexual harassment
SAN DIEGO — A longtime San Diego city employee filed a claim Monday accusing Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment and the city of failing “to protect and warn against Filner’s predatory nature.”
Filner is set to resign at 5 p.m. Friday, but the city is obligated to provide him with a legal defense against any claims “made by current or former employees, city volunteers or city contractors,” under the deal approved by the City Council that included the mayor’s resignation.
The agreement, however, maintained the city’s right to sue Filner to recover any damages against the city arising from sexual harassment claims — except in the case of the lawsuit filed by Irene McCormack Jackson, Filner’s former director of communications.
By a 7-0 vote of the council Friday, the city promised to pay Filner’s share of any compensatory damages from the Jackson lawsuit and not to sue him to recover the city’s share. Also, the city pledged to pay $98,000 to Filner’s private lawyers.
The allegations of Stacy McKenzie, 50, a manager in the Park and Recreation Department, are similar to those made by 17 other women during the frenzied six weeks of the scandal that council members said paralyzed city government.
McKenzie accuses Filner of “placing her in a headlock, rubbing his body against hers, rubbing his elbow against her breasts, [and] rubbing her arm” after asking for a date, according to the claim.
The claim, filed by attorney Daniel Gilleon, includes the names of two city employees who allegedly witnessed the incident at a public event in April at De Anza Cove on Mission Bay. The claim alleges that Filner committed battery, gender violence and sexual harassment and that the city was guilty of negligence.
McKenzie’s “dignity was stolen by the mayor at a public event,” Gilleon said.
A claim can be a forerunner to a lawsuit if a settlement is not reached. Gilleon said he hoped City Atty. Jan Goldsmith would “negotiate a fair and balanced settlement.”
In his apologetic and yet defiant comments to the City Council after the vote, Filner attributed any sexual misconduct to “awkwardness and hubris” and insisted he never sexually harassed anyone.
“To all the women that I offended, I had no intention to be offensive, to violate any physical or emotional space,” Filner said. “I was trying to establish personal relationships.”
The agreement approved by Filner and the City Council was the result of three days of negotiations between Filner, his lawyers, Goldsmith, Council President Todd Gloria and Councilman Kevin Faulconer. The negotiations were overseen by retired federal Judge J. Lawrence Irving, who donated his time.
Moments after Friday’s vote, the state attorney general’s office confirmed that a criminal investigation of Filner’s conduct toward women was underway by the that office and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The agreement makes no mention of legal fees that Filner could face from such an investigation and possible charges.
The council on Wednesday may set Nov. 19 for a special election to find a replacement for the final three years of the 70-year-old Democrat’s term. If no candidate gets more than 50%, a runoff would then be held, most likely in January.
Once Filner’s resignation is effective, Gloria, also a Democrat, will become the interim mayor.
Gloria, Faulconer, former Councilman Carl DeMaio, and county Supervisor Ron Roberts are considering a run for mayor. Former state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher has filed with the city clerk to open an exploratory committee for a possible run.
Faulconer, DeMaio and Roberts are Republicans. When he was in the Legislature, Fletcher was a Republican. He ran for mayor last year as an independent, and he’s now a Democrat.
Goldsmith and Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis have said they would not be candidates.
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