Monday, July 9, 2012

Bx. DA jails frisked gun thugs, and judge wife lets ‘em go free

Bx. DA jails frisked gun thugs, and judge wife lets ‘em go free

He locks ’em up, and she sets ’em free.

Dianne Renwick — one of the judges who tossed the stop-and-frisk conviction of a 14-year-old boy found with a gun in Harlem — is the wife of Bronx DA Robert Johnson.

The former public defender and longtime defendants’ advocate was part of the 3-2 appellate-court majority last week that ruled cops had no right to frisk Jaquan Morant two years ago — even though he was carrying a loaded 9mm pistol.

Her decision appears to fly in the face of the anti-gun campaigns of her DA husband and is seen as a major setback to the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk program.CHECK MATE: Appellate Judge Dianne Renwick, who freed a gun-toting kid nabbed by a stop-and-frisk, is married to Bronx DA Robert Johnson (in background), who’s dedicated to ridding the streets of illegal weapons.CHECK MATE: Appellate Judge Dianne Renwick, who freed a gun-toting kid nabbed by a stop-and-frisk, is married to Bronx DA Robert Johnson (in background), who’s dedicated to ridding the streets of illegal weapons.

“You are going to do federal time if you carry a gun in The Bronx,” Johnson had warned nearly 10 years ago when kicking off a weapons sweep with federal prosecutors.

Likewise in 2001, Johnson said of a major gun-smuggling bust: “I think this is one of the most gratifying things we’ve ever done.”

In the Morant case, however, Renwick was more concerned with the actions of the cops.

The arresting officers, the majority ruled, lacked “reasonable suspicion” to search Morant, even though he was acting nervous and seen pulling an object — that turned out to be a gun — from his waistband and placing it in a backpack. Morant had been sentenced to 15 months’ probation.

(more…)

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Bx. DA jails frisked gun thugs, and judge wife lets ‘em go free
TalkBXAdmin
Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:11:54 GMT

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