7 DUIs and still enabled; wife almost murdered by her husband, and she still enables. The judge, though, doesn’t.
Enablers of the month:
An unnamed judge, sentencing businessman Shaun Goodman, 42, to a year of work release, not jail, and another judge, modifying Goodman’s conditions of release so he could fly from Olympia, WA to New Jersey to watch the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Goodman pleaded guilty to DUI and felony eluding in connection with a drunken chase at speeds reported by his terrified passenger, Henry Griffin, in excess of 100 mph through downtown Olympia. Goodman’s attorney, Paul Strophy, noted that Goodman owns a business and “employs individuals who rely on him to show up for work in order to make sure the business runs smoothly.” First, Goodman won’t show up after he kills or seriously maims someone or himself. Second, a business run by an alcoholic is not one that “runs smoothly.” This was his seventh DUI arrest and fifth DUI conviction. The judges should both be locked up with him and a bottle of vodka. I think one overnight would help them to understand the issues.
The unnamed wife of Khemraj Samlall, who defended her husband as “a great guy,” good husband and father, after Samlall came home drunk after a night out with friends. When she accused him of being a bad father for not spending more time with their two children, he allegedly threatened to kill her while pointing two knives at her. Their son then watched him fetch a red gas can from the backyard, bring it inside, throw fuel on her and their bed, take a lighter from his pocket and try to light the gasoline while winking at the boy. He later claimed he “accidentally” spilled the gasoline on his wife and his attempt to light it was “as a joke.”
Disenabler of the month:
Broward County Judge John “Jay” Hurley, who heard the case in which Khemraj Samlall was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, requiring a $1 million bond for his release, pending trial. The judges enabling Shaun Goodman could learn a thing or two from Judge Hurley.