Granted that the authorities and the defense usually see the facts from two different prisms. But can the chasm be this wide? The police recently arrested an EMT employee at his Brooklyn home where they found an alleged arsenal of guns and two pipe bombs. The New York man’s counsel told the court that these were mostly props, inoperable guns and two cylindrical fireworks mistaken by police to be pipe bombs. The police had been called to the home by the man’s wife on domestic violence allegations.
The Brooklyn criminal court judge did not buy the explanation but, instead, held the suspect on what appears to be an excessive bail amount, i.e., $700,000. The six-year veteran of the EMT squad was allegedly in a domestic dispute with his wife because she had been drinking in front of their two-year-old child. The wife apparently called the police and complained that her husband had threatened to kill her. If she had in fact been drinking to excess, then it’s reasonable to at least consider whether her statements might be exaggerated or maliciously motivated.
When police arrived, they found five guns, two so-called pipe bombs and a rifle. The final verdict regarding the weapons will have to wait for another day. It may be that criminal defense counsel will find it productive to file a motion to suppress the weapons and bring the issue to a quick confrontation. Furthermore, counsel will want to convince authorities that the $700,000 bail is excessive.
Due to the understandable need in New York and elsewhere to protect women and children from the ravages of domestic violence, the benefit of the doubt often goes to the female. However, this predilection to protect defenseless victims is sometimes manipulated for wrongful purposes. It may be wrongly used as a weapon against a non-offending male to trap him in a false web of allegations. In that event, criminal defense counsel will have a tall order: to bring to light the false foundation behind the charges.
Source: New York Daily News, “Lawyer says EMT arrested for weapons had fireworks, not pipe bombs”, Ryan Sit, April 12, 2014
