Remember the BS charges brought against four UVa students after they filmed a scene that involved a BB gun for a class assignment? Albemarle commonwealth’s attorney Jim Camblos actually charged them each with “brandishing a firearm.” Well, four months later Camblos was forced to accept that the charges were just goofy — Brian McNeill reports in the Daily Progress that Camblos has dropped the charges against the kids.
The whole thing smacked of his equally ludicrous charges in the “smoke bombers” case this time last year, when he charged those middle school students with conspiring to “blow up” their school. After the case led to an acquittal, Camblos showed no interest in his universal condemnation, even pointing to the fact that one of the accused kids’ birthdays was also the anniversary of Columbine as evidence against him. This time around, Camblos realized that he’d have to drop the charges, since no judge or jury would rule against these kids, and managed to keep himself from threatening the media for violating a non-existent gag order. Those who need to get caught up can look at my year-old compilation of the most outrageous things that Camblos has ever done.
It’s well worth noting that Camblos is running for reelection this year — he’s seeking a third term. I sent $50 to his challenger, Denise Lunsford, via her website a few days ago. There’s not much I know about Lunsford, other than that she’s not Camblos. That’s good enough for me. On the other hand, if Lunsford wins, what in the world would I write about for the next four years? I’d be like Jon Stewart without Bush as president.
An obvious disclosure: Lunsford’s campaign is advertising on this site. Like all ads here, it’s been bought through a third-party ad broker, Blogads. But I’m still making money off of it. I think, since the space has been bought through the election, it’s something like a couple of hundred bucks. Of course, I accept no payment in exchange for writing blog entries — the campaign has just bought that slot on the side of the page.
Regular readers of the site will note that my interest in seeing Camblos evicted from office is nothing new.
It’s not just Camblos who has the go. The entire slate of supervisors running for reelection should also be shown the door. Take the Crozet master plan disaster, NGIC, no rural protection, uncontrolled growth without infrastructure and taxes going through the roof leave only one conclusion, it’s time for a change!
I recently saw a brief recap of the “smoke bomb” case somewhere (Cville News?) which stated that the parents of the boy acquitted in that case will be filing a lawsuit against the Commonwealth’s Attorney and AC Police, if I remember correctly.Did anyone else notice that update? It was not picked up in other local media which I see.It would be nice if the timing for that lawsuit that was pre-election, just to remind voters of the need for a new CA.
I’m willing to bet that those bozos and retards will not be committing their pranks again. As for threats of lawsuits, I don’t think the County is aw willing to settle out of court as the City is, so it’s a big gamble that the parents will be taking and a lot more expense. Yes, wonderful, cool kids can cost their parents a great deal of time and money, and everybody else for that matter.
Mr. Martin, what on earth are you talking about? Now the kids could have used some common sense, considering the VATECH shootings, but they were doing a class assignment, no?
I do not think that this warrants your over the top response or CA’s either, but sounds like you two might be like two peas in a pod.
I love this:
“The ringleader was born on Hitler’s 100th anniversary of his birthday”
http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2006/08/25/the-hitler-birthday-connection/
Lunsford has to somehow use that in her campaign. That is absolutely amazing, what kind of joker do we have representing us?
Oh Republicans these days, they are so silly.
Ah, the thinly-veiled disguise of support for the Democratic candidate has fallen from the face. Does anyone realisticly think that this issue will serve as a significant vote-getter, with the VA TECH shootings and all as a back drop? If some politicians have their way and all of the college students will start packin’, I would have referred to them as dead bozos and retards. I doubt any professor will back up the statement that this behavior is a necessary result of his assignment. Unless he wants to pull on my already long legs.
Kenneth, do you believe that these students should have been charged with a crime? If so, what crime, and why? Should it be illegal to possess a gun-like object on university grounds, even if that gun-like object is clearly marked as not being a gun with traditional BB gun markings, such as a bright orange tip? Is this a class of crime that exists only within proximity to a major shooting, such as that of Virginia Tech? If so, at what rate does the seriousness of the crime fall off after (or before?) the major shooting in question, and at what point does it cease to be a crime? Could you suggest how this might be codified in law?
Alternately, is it possible that behaving like a “bozo” and accidentally committing a “prank” isn’t criminal behavior?
Why are we even engaging with Kenneth Martin? Who knows what his issues are, but anyone who uses terms like “bozos and retards” to describe college students working on a scene for a film at the university isn’t really interested in genuine, collaborative dialogue. He’s a flame-thrower. Boring.
I will end my contributions to this thread by saying that, if I had thought they were criminals, I would not have used the words bozos or retards or pranks.
Kenny-boy,
I’m calling your bluff, you wouldn’t be posting right here if you thought this dog didn’t hunt.
Mostly because ya don’t have to be a Democrat to realize that the current crop of Republican politicians wont be winning any Mensa contests.
And I think there are a lot of Republican voters who think the very same thing, and are feed up with the leaders of their party, both nationally and locally.
Camblos is an extreme example of this particular idiocy that is a result of WAY too much cronyism in the R party. Cronyism is like inbreeding, the results are predictable.
And of course that cuts both ways and these things go in cycles when one party’s been in charge too long . . . or one faction of a party has been in charge too long.
Me, for one thinks its a crying shame that the Republican party is currently lead by such a pack of baboons.
I mean come on . . . I know he’s guilty because he, “was born on Hitler’s 100th anniversary of his birthday”
Real nice.
At the Board of Supervisors level the only difference between the Republicans and Democrats is the Democrats are willing to pay for what they vote for and the Republicans aren’t. There are now 4 votes the developers can depend on to vote for development, Boyd, Wyant, Dorrier and Slutzky. When the vote for the most recent tax rate came up at least Slutzky told the board he would vote for the current rate of 74 cents to pay for continuing growth. His 3 amigos didn’t agree and the rate was lowered. For growth area residents we got the usual double wammy, continued uncontrolled growth with no funding to support it. When the board reduces services to get the lower rate, the loss of those services i.e. fire, police etc fall harder on growth area residents. It wasn’t as if the board wasn’t warned. Dennis Rooker voted against a number of development proposals, stating that it wasn’t that the proposals weren’t good proposals, but the County wasn’t ready to support them.
It’s time to vote for change!
Camblos stinks – don’t re-elect him.
There should have been no charges in the first place. There was neither the means nor the intent to commit a crime on the part of the students. Maybe it wasnt the best judgment to display something that might have been mistaken for a gun right after the Tech shootings. But how could they have known people would panic.
I don’t blame to police for handling it the way they did.They have to always assume a worst-case scenario might be happening.
But Camblos had to be the tough guy, the posturing prosecutor. I like to think Dave Chapman would have been more rational.
Camblos is a meanie and a bully, the Judge Roy Bean of Albemarle County.
That’s an important point. Police should have responded as they did, because their job is to assume the worst. I was glad to see nobody criticize them for their role. Camblos, on the other hand, displayed terrible judgement, as always. After the police were done, they should have been handed over to UVa — or their parents — to be dealt with. It’s not illegal to be dumb.
Camblos just hates guns period – he’s no friend of gun owners in the County and it’s likely that his over reaction is just another attempt to further some agenda.
Remember the guy that shot the cat? If I recall correctly he was pushing for new gun discharge laws in the County (because this has historically been such a big problem …not!) that would have prohibited me and my 7 year old from shooting his pellet rifle in our yard. I was going to do it anyway, but his over reaction was well noted.
You know, Mike, that’s actually a pretty interesting interpretation that I hadn’t considered. Democrat that I am, I still find myself far more pro-gun than Camblos is. He’s a pretty far out of the mainstream on the matter, but it hadn’t occurred to me that this explains his attempted prosecution in this case. That makes a lot of sense.
Whoa Hollow Boy,
You amaze me- did you stop to think that had the County CA’s office done nothing about the gun incident at UVA, the other half of you fools would be throwing stones because nothing was done so close to the aftermath of the Tech shootings.
This was one of those cases where you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.I doubt Chapman would have handled it any differently- being the political machine that he is.
Probabaly best handled exactly as it was.
BB guns are firearms like bows and arrows are firearms. In other words, they’re not firearms. These sissies should have pled innocent all the way instead of kow-towing to the NWO.
girlfrog59 is right on the button. Didn’t anybody’s grandmother tell him that “BB guns can put your eyes out?” Are the culprits complaining about the outcome?