McCain volunteer Ashley Todd makes deal in fake assault case

PITTSBURGH - A McCain campaign volunteer accused of making up a story about being robbed and assaulted in Pittsburgh by a man who disliked her McCain bumper sticker will enter a program for first-time offenders.

Under the deal announced in court today, 20-year-old Ashley Todd will be released from jail and required to undergo mental health treatment. Her record eventually will be expunged as long as she goes to treatment, stays out of trouble and keeps authorities apprised of her whereabouts.

Todd, of College Station, Texas, has been jailed since Oct. 24, when police say she admitted making up a story about being robbed near a Pittsburgh bank and then assaulted a man who scraped a backward letter "B” into her cheek.

Todd, who was charged with making a false police report, did not have to enter a plea.

Police say Todd couldn’t explain why she invented the story.


Link: http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/2008/view/2008_10_30_McCain_volunteer_Ashley_Todd_makes_deal_in_fake_assault_case/srvc=home&position=recent

I was just quoting the title of the article. :hi:

she should have been punished much more severely for inventing the "black" attacker, and for using the stunt to try to influence a Presidential election campaign.

Sid

Emotionally, I feel differently ~~ but in this case, I will put on my attorney hat and make the following comment: What the offense was is that she made a false police report. The fact that she wrongfully made up an alleged perp who happened to be a black man LEGALLY is not relevant to the crime charged. Makes it clear that she has some mental/emotional issues, but it does not make the underlying charge any different.

...but that does not change the elements of making a false report to law enforcement. The report is fase regardless of how the alleged perp is described. The essence of the crime in knowingly making a false report of a crime. That is all it takes and it does not matter as to having the charge correctly lie as to what she make up in regard to her false report ~~ the crime took place the minute she knowingly made the false report of a crime. She could have said it was a white woman who did this and the charge is the same.

BTW: I am not saying this is good or this is bad ~~ all I am doing as a long time atty is explaining how and why the results came out as they did.

crime. A crime committed with the intent directed at a specific minority.

...to understand the elements of that crime in that particular jurisdiction. Some times on hate crime statutes, the conduct has to be directed toward a specific, identifiable person or group of persons which actually exists...not just a made-up person as Ashley did of a specific but identifiable, suspect class, i.e., "a black man." (By "suspect class," I mean that this is a class that could be discriminated against ~~ particular religious groups, ethnicity, race, age, gender, etc....not that black people are suspect. Thought I should explain before someone took what I wrote the wrong way!)

Emotionally, I feel like you do ~~ what she did was totally despicable. But...I understand how the criminal justice system is dealing with her particular actions. I can tell you, given the actual facts, that is about what I would expect. She did not received special treatment, IMO, one way or the other and that is how the system should work...but often does not.

I see her alleged attack was an attempt to unduly influence the voters during an election. I was hoping that there was some sort of violation of election laws that also could have come into play.

Cheers.

Sid

would be very hard to prove up in this particular setting. It has to be conduct which is found beyond a reasonable doubt to have been done for that particular purpose. She could have just been a sick drama queen who has racist ideations...who knows. That is why what they charged seems to be totally appropriate under the circumstances ~~ false report to law enforcement. No matter what the intent on other matters, she clearly had the intent to make the false report.

All crimes consist of two basic elements ~~ a sufficient act and a sufficent "bad" mind set done at the same time. IMO, it would be a difficult prove-up on what she did to take it to the extent that she had a rational thought that what she did would throw a national election for McCain. Did she clearly have the bad intent on the false report? Yep, she admitted it! On the other? Waaaaaaaaaaay too speculative, IMO.

Cops and the criminal justice system ~~ and judges most of all ~~ LOVE to close cases and get them out of the system. Remember: The system runs for ITS own convenience.

:hi:

...required to undergo mental health treatment.

Perhaps the US needs to set aside a large area to house all the rabid-GOPers for "mental health treatment." How large is GitMo?

"Take a cruise to Alaska and see the glaciers, caribou, and the last remnants of that bizarre breed: Neo-Conservative Republicans"

They could line up alone the beach as the ship passes, eyes half-shut and mouths agape with spittle on their chins, waiting for tourists to take their photos...

"Oh, look, dear! That one must be at least 195 pounds!"

I keed, I keed!

Oh wait.

i can't believe John McCain isn't saying anything to denounce what his crazy followers are doing in his name!!

Conviction or not, she's forfeited her right to vote, at least in THIS election, because she was deliberately trying to influence the outcome through fraud.

Basically, if the offender does everything required and breaks no law and gets in no trouble in one year, the case ends in proceedings dismissed. I would take a guess that this is pretty much what is going on in PA. Usual disposition on a first time offender for a non-violent act.

IMO, I cannot see any favoritism on how this case was dispo'd.

and I suspect millions of others won't either.

she just did not want to

there are many reasons she did this, all too embarrassing to admit

She knows why, she just doesn't want to say why.

Commit a crime and get away with it.

Plumb and Dumber

republicans. She got off too easy for her fucking crime.

Then she shouldn't be allowed any deal. As to the story, it was invented to help the faltering racist campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin.