Heucrazy
Pretty Prince of Parties
I wish I could get away with murder.
By William C. Lhotka
Of the Post-Dispatch
Friday, May. 06 2005
St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little avoided a jail sentence for
speeding but was warned by a judge Friday that he will be jailed for six months
if he drinks alcohol during his two years on probation.
St. Louis County Circuit Judge Emmett M. O'Brien rejected the prosecution's
recommendation of 30 days in jail.
A jury of 11 women and one man convicted Little on April 1 of speeding -
driving his 2003 Mercedes at 78 mph on U.S. Highway 40 (Interstate 64) in Ladue
- but acquitted the defendant of the more serious felony charge of driving
while intoxicated.
The drunken-driving case was a felony because Little had pleaded guilty in 1999
of manslaughter, admitting he was drunk in 1998 when he ran a red light
downtown and his SUV collided with a car driven by Susan Gutweiler, 47, of
Oakville. She was killed.
In sentencing Little, a Pro-Bowl lineman, O'Brien said Friday that he had been
told 'you do not intend to drink and drive, or consume any alcoholic beverages.
If you fulfill your promise, you will have no problems.'
O'Brien then made abstinence from alcohol for two years a condition of
probation. Otherwise, he said, the sentence will be six months in jail.
A suggestion by prosecutor Mark Bishop that Little spend 30 days in jail
sparked controversy in the 10-minute sentencing hearing in Clayton.
Bishop argued that the only way to send Little a message that the community
disapproved of his conduct was time in jail.
The prosecutor said that defense attorney Scott Rosenblum had suggested a
30-day sentence during plea bargaining before trial.
Rosenblum told O'Brien he never had authority from Little to make such a deal.
Afterward, Rosenblum said in an interview that the state's offer at the time
was for three years in prison, which was totally unacceptable.
On his way out of the courthouse later, an upset Little said, 'I was never
going to plead guilty. They never had a case from the get-go. You can print
that.'
Authorities felt differently. The arresting Ladue police officer, Gregory
Stork, claimed that Little failed three field sobriety tests after he was
stopped on April 24 last year.
In court, Rosenblum attacked the methodology Stork used in conducting the
tests.
Sgt. Darin McClure said he had administered a breath test alongside the
highway. It indicated a blood-alcohol content nearly double the legal limit of
0.08 percent. Such tests, however, are not admissible under Missouri law
because the portable equipment is not as reliable as breath analysis machines
in police stations.
Little refused to take such a test at the police station about 20 minutes after
his arrest. Bishop argued that Little's refusal was an indication he was under
the influence.
Reporter William C. Lhotka
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 314-615-3283
By William C. Lhotka
Of the Post-Dispatch
Friday, May. 06 2005
St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little avoided a jail sentence for
speeding but was warned by a judge Friday that he will be jailed for six months
if he drinks alcohol during his two years on probation.
St. Louis County Circuit Judge Emmett M. O'Brien rejected the prosecution's
recommendation of 30 days in jail.
A jury of 11 women and one man convicted Little on April 1 of speeding -
driving his 2003 Mercedes at 78 mph on U.S. Highway 40 (Interstate 64) in Ladue
- but acquitted the defendant of the more serious felony charge of driving
while intoxicated.
The drunken-driving case was a felony because Little had pleaded guilty in 1999
of manslaughter, admitting he was drunk in 1998 when he ran a red light
downtown and his SUV collided with a car driven by Susan Gutweiler, 47, of
Oakville. She was killed.
In sentencing Little, a Pro-Bowl lineman, O'Brien said Friday that he had been
told 'you do not intend to drink and drive, or consume any alcoholic beverages.
If you fulfill your promise, you will have no problems.'
O'Brien then made abstinence from alcohol for two years a condition of
probation. Otherwise, he said, the sentence will be six months in jail.
A suggestion by prosecutor Mark Bishop that Little spend 30 days in jail
sparked controversy in the 10-minute sentencing hearing in Clayton.
Bishop argued that the only way to send Little a message that the community
disapproved of his conduct was time in jail.
The prosecutor said that defense attorney Scott Rosenblum had suggested a
30-day sentence during plea bargaining before trial.
Rosenblum told O'Brien he never had authority from Little to make such a deal.
Afterward, Rosenblum said in an interview that the state's offer at the time
was for three years in prison, which was totally unacceptable.
On his way out of the courthouse later, an upset Little said, 'I was never
going to plead guilty. They never had a case from the get-go. You can print
that.'
Authorities felt differently. The arresting Ladue police officer, Gregory
Stork, claimed that Little failed three field sobriety tests after he was
stopped on April 24 last year.
In court, Rosenblum attacked the methodology Stork used in conducting the
tests.
Sgt. Darin McClure said he had administered a breath test alongside the
highway. It indicated a blood-alcohol content nearly double the legal limit of
0.08 percent. Such tests, however, are not admissible under Missouri law
because the portable equipment is not as reliable as breath analysis machines
in police stations.
Little refused to take such a test at the police station about 20 minutes after
his arrest. Bishop argued that Little's refusal was an indication he was under
the influence.
Reporter William C. Lhotka
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 314-615-3283
