[SEL] Thieves

[Steve W.]

Judge Tommy Turner wrote:
> Well Dave, here in KY it is difficult at times to tell the house and
> barn apart!  In regards to the discrimination situation, I remember a
> gent having his water turned off for failure to pay the bill.  An ACLU
> attorney appeared on his behalf stating it was a clear case of
> discrimination against the poor.  The guy's water didn't come back on
> though until he paid the bill!
> 
> I had an eviction hearing for the local HUD development a few years ago
> that was somewhat similar.  The rent ($40 I think for a two bedroom
> unit) hadn't been paid and she had been issued a notice of eviction.
> She appealed stating she was too poor to pay the rent and it came to me.
> The first thing I did was ask if I could visit her home.  She said yes.
> While it was a bit cluttered it wasn't dirty and overall was nice.
> However, I spotted 3 packs of cigarettes and probably a half dozen empty
> beer cans in the trash.  I told them we would return to the hearing
> room.  I asked her who the cigarettes belonged to and she said "me".
> Then I asked who the beer cans belonged to and she said "me".  I told
> her I would issue an order giving her  one month to catch up on her
> rent.  During the time she was not to purchase any cigarettes or alcohol
> and those dollars were to apply to the rent (I was treading on soft
> ground a bit here but what the heck).  I'd have no problem booting her
> out but she had 3 small children under 10 and I wanted them to have a
> home.  I checked in a month later and she had caught up on the rent.  I
> saw her in town a couple of years later and she came up to me and said
> "I want to say thank you, I quit smoking, quit drinking, and I've never
> been late on my rent since".   
> 
> Sometimes things do work out!
> 
> Tommy Turner
> Magnolia, KY
> 


OK, I'll take back my thought that every Judge I ever met was an idiot...

If Judges used common sense and thought things out like you seem to, the
judicial system might actually work!
Of course the lawyers wouldn't like that because they would lose money
on appeals cases...

-- 
Steve Williams