EYEWITNESS EXCLUSIVE!!!11"WHAT I SAW AT TEH SENTENCING"By: Trix E. Lom, Intrepid ReporterEugene (Mar 12)--Because teh Editor, Minteh,
ix-nayed my reasonable request for a plane ticket,
I had to hitchhike to Eugene. So I arrived a bit
late.
To make matters worse, the Courthouse was as
messy as a gerbil cage: the usual security station
was closed off--no doubt to redistribute guards
to Teh Deb's sentencing hearing...
Then security made me surrender my belt and
boots. This piqued my ire, since I'd bought them
especially to wear in court. I was especially proud
of the belt--which bore an extra-large buckle with
a GERBIL on it. (Oh well, no harm done--they
didn't make me remove my WTF Vodka t-shirt...)
DADDY TESTIFIES FOR DEBBIEAnyhoo...I made it to the courtroom. A bit late.
When I arrived in the courtroom, a father was
making an impassioned plea on behalf of his
daughter, but I didn't recognize that it was about
the perpetrator, because it sounded like he was
talking about someone, well,
sane.
The father was in his mid-60s, perhaps, a medium-
tall gentlemen dressed appropriately in a casual
gray suit. He spoke like a man who is used to
public speech and seemed kind and forthright,
but above all he was trying to maintain himself
in this public and humiliating moment.
He said that he did not approve of his daughter's
language at times, but that it would serve no good
purpose for her to go to jail, especially since the
family had already committed to her alcohol
treatment at their own expense.
When he finished his plea, the perpetrator
clapped a few times, in violation of both
common sense and etiquette.That perpetrator was--you guessed it--our own
Debbie!
MEET TEH PARENTS...Deb and her attorney had their backs to me. Her
parents had not looked over at me, as I was sitting
well behind them, in the back row, taking notes.
The front row was reserved.
I should say that Frisch's mother was an attractive
woman, wearing black and well-groomed in every
aspect. She is thin and has an olive complexion and
short, glossy,
black hair cut & styled in a loose pageboy.
She may be her husband's age but, if so, she has taken
great care of her figure and her skin.
She didn't speak, and it seemed to this reporter that
she was doing her best not to cry. She held a white
handkerchief and occasionally raised it to her eyes
but she steadfastly maintained her dignity and set
an example for others there whose respect for the
court was not quite as evident in their apparel and
demeanor.
The perp's lawyer referred to Deb as "Ms." then
corrected it to "Dr."
.
HERE COMES TEH JUDGE('S SPEECH)The judge, piqued, asked the perp what her degree is in.
"My Ph.D.?" piped up the defendant, "It's in
Psychology.
Decision Science. I worked for the
National Science
Foundation blah blah blah." Same self-aggrandizing spiel
about her long-lost glory days when she had a real job
and some respect among her peers.
Based on this confession, the judge said, "You
know what I want to hear."The perp stood up, looking sickly pale and older than
her years, plus thicker in the middle, probably due to
her heavy drinking. She affected a quiet, almost timid
and slightly higher voice than her typical, rasping alto.
She said that she would go to Serenity Lane,
and that she has watched her parents' grief
since they've been visiting her in Oregon, grief
at the fact that she is a "magnet for legal action,"
and she doesn't wish to cause any more pain.She was standing with her attorney facing the judge by
then. The judge began a well-deserved lecture in her direction.
He said that he wanted to help her (meaning the defendant),
but that the victim had been harmed. He chastised her for,
as a psychologist, not acting on her knowledge of the damage
caused by alcohol use when it is chronic or
binge drinking.
He explained how
dopamine receptors in the brain become
atrophied from such drinking, and waxed poetic about the
joys of an unexpected sunny day, a smiling baby in the
supermarket, or being licked by a puppy. With chronic
drinking, such joy is diminished, he said.
It's also easy then to lapse into criminal thinking and
dishonesty, he added.
At this point, the defendant asked to speak again, and
the judge granted her the privilege, although he seemed
reluctant.
She said she had stopped drinking a week before her
parents arrived and that for the first time in her life
she doesn't want to drink, and she feels better. She
stated that she didn't know about dopamine receptors.
The judge said he wished he had a time machine and
could send abusers ahead in time to seven months of
clean and sober. It takes a while, he said, but alcohol
is a chronic-relapse,
fatal disease. He told her to get
"plugged in to the recovery community" immediately,
because they are generous people who would give you
their phone numbers--
"GIVE HER THEIR PHONE NUMBERS??"
your intrepid reporter wondered. "Isn't
that how Debbie got into all this trouble in
teh first place??"The perpetrator then replied to the judge without
asking permission to do so, and she had clearly lost
her facade of timidity and was becoming bold in a
way that was contraindicated by her position before
the judge.
Still, she told him that if he would read her blog, he
would understand that she is in earnest and has quit
drinking.
To which the judge said, "I WILL read
your blog.".
TEH JUDGE GETS DOWN TO BIDNESSPROBATION:The perpetrator has been sentenced to 3 years of
probation. During the period of probation, the convict
has to be peaceful. She must notify the judge if she is
charged with a new crime, or if she moves, within five
days.
CONDITIONS OF PROBABION INCLUDE: "STFU!"Further, the convict is not allowed to have any weapons
during the period of her probation, and she is not allowed
to drink alcohol or to frequent bars or any gathering
where the primary activity is the consumption of alcohol.
She may have no contact with the victim, not even through
third parties, and she may not post her likeness or name
on any medium, including the internet. Any of these
would constitute a
violation of probation.
GET A JOB!!!He asked her whether she was employed, to which she said
no. In that case, the judge demands that she seek and maintain
full-time employment and/or schooling.
$500 FINE!Since the convict's father has testified that she is indigent,
the judge requires a fine of $500, to be paid at the rate of
not less than $50 per month, with the first payment due
August 31st. All of this will be in a judgment document to
come.
10 DAYS ON TEH SHERIFF'S "PAYROLL"The convict must serve 10 days in the custody of the
Lane
County Sheriff, but that custody may consist of community
service or road-crew work. Jail time may not help, the
judge admitted. In fact, the difference comes not with
punishment, but with her commitment to sobriety.
JUDGE GETS A BIT SOFTAgain, the judge stated he felt he had let the victim down,
but he was compelled to balance many factors. It is the
opinion of your reporter that the impassioned plea of the
convict's father and the quiet stoicism of her attractive,
grieving mother made a compassionate impression on
this judge who appreciates sunshine, babies, and puppies.
GET THEE TO A SHRINK, DEBBIE!Finally, the convict must submit to a psychological evaluation,
which is scheduled for March 17th. In case of any delay, the
evaluation must be completed by March 31st and the court
must receive evidence that the evaluation has been completed.
It is understood that Serenity Lane will direct her necessary
treatment and notify the court of its completion.
CASE CONTINUED UNTIL...MAY 21stTeh convict will return to the court on May 21 of this year at
8:30 a.m. for a probation review. The judge repeated that he
is charging the convict only $500 in total; all other fees are
waived. He reminded her that paying earlier than the due
date would be a good gesture. The sheriffs, he said, would
not take her into custody immediately,
but she will go to jail today. In taking 10 days of her life as fit payment
for harming another citizen, the sheriffs will work around
her Serenity Lane treatment. While at the jail, the former
well-respected doctor and practitioner of decision science
will be fingerprinted.
AND NOW...TIME FOR "TEH GREAT EXCAPE"!As this reporter was wary of being seen and perhaps identified,
everyone's backs were to me, and the judge was launching into
what I assumed would be a brief yet potent parting shot, I slowly
stood and eased my way out of the courtroom and the courthouse
itself, winding my way down the dungeon-like back stairs to a
"secure" door marked "Do not grant access through this door."
I didn't grant access. I smoked a cigarette & pondered this day
of celebration for gerbils, and for lovers of justice everywhere.
On my way out of the courtroom, however, I did hear the
beginning of the judge's final speech. He turned to the convict,
still standing before him and said:
"You are the center of your universe. But you know that."That's the story from your intrepid reporter, Trix E. Lom, ever ready
and at your service to dish the latest dirt on pedophiles everywhere.
I shall return.