I had a story come calling, today, currently called Arrested. Something simple and straightforward, about the arrest of a man for public indecency that spirals out of control when he refuses to take a deal and the case goes to trial.
Except it can't be that simple. Oh, no.
ARRESTED
Location: Barrington Township, Ohio Fictional town near Columbus
Characters: 1. Simon Delevan, 67 a. Gay b. Archivist c. Semi-retired d. Lives in Buffalo, NY
2. Frank Paley, 30 a. Cop for Barrington Township b. Powerbuilder c. Straight, he says
3. Brian Walstead, 32 a. Assistant District Attorney b. Very good-looking c. Divorced
4. Elissa Manville, 30 a. Walstead’s second chair b. Rubenesque but pretty c. Boyfriend not very attentive
5. Judge Oliver Denton, 49 a. Municipal Court b. Distinguished but right wing c. Married, 5 daughters, three grandchildren
6. Dr. Elon Aristide, 36 a. PhD in Jurisprudence b. Attractive and well-dressed. c. Married, 2 sons and a daughter
7. Raymond Harver, 54
a. District Attorney
b. Self-satisfied about self
c. Married twice, son and daughter from first marriage don’t speak to him.
I've worked out a rough outline of the story to about the halfway point, and it's getting into territory I know little about. How a trial for a misdemeanor works and what an ADA would actually do. I mean, if the case is just a misdemeanor and questions are reaised about the legitimacy of the arrest, would they still press on to the end? Or withdraw the charges?
Or would other aspects factor in? Like the possibility the defendant would file a claim with the city for false arrest, imprisonment and prosecution? Would a guilty verdict in the trial mitigate that? Would this be something the ACLU would get involved with?
Damn...am I getting myself into another PIA situation? Because I have no idea how far this is going to go.
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