KNAPPSTER George Knapp is a longtime reporter and anchor for KLAS Channel 8.

Thursday, February 27, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Knappster: Judge in Williams' case has watermelon cajones

By George Knapp

Critics will say it's a "technicality." Jessica Williams may get a new trial because of nitpicky language issues, loopholes really. Damn those shyster lawyers and their slick maneuvers and verbal mumbo jumbo.

Damn them, that is, unless it's you or your loved ones who sit in the box, awaiting justice...or injustice. Laws are technicalities. Laws are all about language. We set down laws in writing so everyone can understand them and so our rights as citizens can be protected. That's what has happened in the Williams case.

There's probably a good chance a lot of folks out there will hold this against District Judge Michael Douglas for as long as he sits on the bench. The families of the six kids killed on I-15 three years ago will remember it. The DA's office will, too. And, of course, the self-appointed guardians of us all--the relentless anti-DUI crusaders--likely will vow to pummel Judge Douglas with this club for the rest of his career.

The judge had to know this before he handed down his decision. But he did it anyway because that's how he saw the law. It's pretty simple really. Williams' attorney, John Watkins, discovered that the administrative code of the state does not list the marijuana metabolite known as carboxylic acid on the schedule of controlled substances. If it isn't listed, how can she be convicted of having it in her system? (Readers will recall that the jury in Williams' first trial found that she was not impaired when the accident occurred. They did not believe she was driving under the influence of anything, yet because of the way state law is written--another technicality, you might say--Williams was sent to prison for up to 48 years because of the minute amounts of marijuana found in her system.)

"That judge has balls as big as watermelons," one lawyer was overheard saying. That seems to be the consensus. In a state where so many decisions are seemingly based on prevailing winds or on the wishes of powerful interests, this decision stands out. Judge Douglas' name has been mentioned many times for higher judicial positions. Some think he should run for the Nevada Supreme Court. Others think he'd be a natural for appointment to the federal bench. Because of this decision, there are many folks out there who would oppose either of those moves.

In the early days of the Williams case, public opinion generally resembled that of a lynch mob. There were death threats against Williams and her lawyers. That attitude has changed dramatically as the issues of her case were aired in open court and in the media. When people learned that Jessica wasn't weaving down the freeway in a roaring stupor, their attitudes softened. So while the stunning decision could hurt Judge Douglas with one segment of the public, it may end up boosting his stature with the larger community. He certainly has fans.

"He's a real judge," Watkins says. "He calls it the way the law tells him to call it. Politically, I think it will make him look even better in the eyes of the public. But even if everyone hated him for this decision, he's the kind of person who would say you're just gonna have to hate me."

Crazy Horse follow-up

Crazy Horse Too owner Rick Rizzolo says he is less concerned about the stuff that was carted out of his club last week than he is about the stuff that was hauled inside. Rizzolo says he is curious about the many covered boxes that were carted into the Horse by federal agents during last Thursday's predawn raid. This past weekend, teams of electronics experts scoured the club looking for any hidden surprises that might have been left behind. Nothing surreptitious had been uncovered. ... The search warrants explained that agents were looking for any paperwork that might support the suspicion that the Horse is secretly owned by the likes of Don Corleone, or that Rizzolo is making secret tribute payments to Eastern Mafia families. It seems unlikely that anyone would retain paperwork that spells out such arrangements, especially someone who knows he is under constant surveillance. Still, the feds are convinced that some of those working for Rizzolo are taking orders from folks in New York's Little Italy. And their sealed affidavit contained enough info to convince a judge of the same. ... So why was such a high-profile raid staged in the first place? Some are speculating that the feds wanted to send a message perhaps to confidential informants or to other potential witnesses, a message that says they are very serious about going after Rizzolo and his friends. If there was also a hope of driving a wedge between Rizzolo and many of the politicians to whom he donates funds, it may not have worked. Rizzolo says he was swamped with calls from judges and politicians who vowed that they will not distance themselves from the club or its owner. ... The L.A. Times is said to be working on a major story about political donations from Crazy Horse Too to assorted officials.

Miscellany

It hasn't received much local attention, but lawmen in Chicago say longtime mob boss Joey "The Clown" Lombardo has been missing for three weeks. Lombardo was one of the bosses who directed the multimillion-dollar mob skimming operations in Las Vegas back in the '70s and '80s. He was also a direct supervisor of late local rackets boss Tough Tony Spilotro. The word is, Lombardo went underground after being paid a visit by the feds. Agents may have told The Clown about a contract that was supposedly put out on his life. There is also word that Lombardo may be under suspicion for a pile of old, unsolved mob murders. Good enough reason to hit the road, one might say. ... By the way, Lombardo's brother is employed at the Crazy Horse Too, but this Lombardo has reportedly never been in trouble with the law. ... Now that Metro vice officers have put some heat on local sex clubs, Nevada's legal brothels say they intend to start their own campaign. The brothels confess they've been hurt by the full-scale whorehouses that are now operating in Las Vegas under the guise of swingers clubs. Some of the clubs are raking in an estimated $20,000 a day from randy customers paying for sex. Working girls who've been employed by both the brothels and the clubs say the money they earn is about the same, and so are the services offered. Some of the clubs employ as many as 20 young women per night. The legal brothels have some intriguing ideas in mind for their own undercover operations. ... The Wall Street Journal is reportedly in town, investigating the alleged theft of 10,000 cactuses from the deserts of Southern Nevada and Southern California. Anyone out there know anything about it? ... Boycotting Perrier and other French products because of the reticence of the French government to support a war in Iraq makes about as much sense as a ban on berets and Pepe Le Pew cartoons. How can we be pissed at the French for not getting in line behind the war effort when so many Americans feel exactly the same way?