During warehouse raids in Nashville and Lynchburg, Tennessee where Jack Daniels whiskey is made, officials seized 2,400 bottles of the whiskey.  Some of the bottles that were snatched in the raids are over 100 years old, and may not see another year.  It’s set to be poured right down the drain.

Fans of the historic whiskey are protesting the planned disposal of the Jack Daniels whiskey.

No one has been arrested, but officials say that some of the whiskey could have been stolen from the distillery and they suspect that it was being sold by someone without a license.

In Tennessee, the law dictates that whiskey that can not be legally sold must be destroyed.  That means that any bottles seized with labels designed for sale overseas and all of those with broken seals will be poured out.  Some of the bottles may be able to be sold at auction.

The estimated value of all the liquor seized is around $1 million.  Some of the antique bottles are now collector’s items.

One of the bottles is dated from 1914, and the seal on this bottle is unbroken.  That makes its worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $10,000.

A company in New York has created a small digital camera that fits onto a gun and sells for $700. Police think that the cameras could provide vital information and evidence, especially in situations when officers are required to use deadly force. They also believe the camera will be a beneficial training tool.

Officers in Orange County, New York are going to give the digital pistol cams a try on their standard-issue Glock pistols. Dennis Barry, the head of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department says that they don’t see any down side to the cameras on their guns.

The mini pistol cams will be attached to the firearms, just under the barrel of the weapons, starting in January. The cameras are designed to begin recording digital video and audio as soon as the gun is removed from the holster. The pistol cam developers have even designed the units to encrypt the video so that there is no risk of tampering.

The video cameras on police weapons may also improve police relations with the public. If everything is now being recorded, there may no longer ever be the need to “take the officer’s word for it”, as there will be indisputable video proof of what actually took place.

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is aware that millions of California drivers are saving big money on car insurance, because they aren’t buying any. Poizner is planning a crackdown on uninsured drivers though, and those without car insurance may have their cars immobilized or license plates revoked.

Poizner is considering trying to get an initiative on the 2008 ballot that would give law enforcement a broader sweep of power over uninsured drivers.

The issue is not a new one and has divided lawmakers and voters in California for quite some time. However, Poizner has been expanding a state low cost car insurance program that allows drivers to get basic coverage for as little as $350 per year and that may make all the difference to some.

Although advocates of the low cost insurance plans say that now anyone who can afford a car and gas can also afford basic coverage, others still argue that the costs are still too high for those living at or below poverty level.

Under the current law, uninsured drivers can receive a ticket if they are not in the state database of insured drivers and can not provide proof of insurance. If an uninsured driver is in an accident, they can lose their driver’s license for a year. If the car registration has been suspended because there is no insurance coverage, the driver can face fines of more than $1,000. Police say that under the current law, the cars are rarely seized unless there is not an insured driver available to drive it or the registration has been suspended.

Poizner has not released the details of the initiative he hopes to see on the 2008 ballot, but it would involve cracking down on the uninsured and getting them off the road by whatever means necessary.

A 78 year old man who is the father of Jim Belushi’s former driver is suing the actor over a 2001 Land Rover that is allegedly a lemon and he wants the star to pay him $6,000.

Belushi and Ted Lewandowski met in Providence, Rhode Island while Belushi was there filming the Disney movie “Underdog”. Lewandowski was employed as Belushi’s driver. While driving Belushi, Lewandowski mentioned that he was looking to buy a car for his dad, Jan Lewandowski.

Lewandowski claims that Belushi suggested that he buy his Land Rover and told him that the SUV was posted for sale on Ebay. He also claims that Belushi told him that the vehicle was in perfect mechanical condition.

Lewandowski bought the 2001 Land Rover and sent $11,500 to Belushi’s people in California and then flew out to pick up the vehicle. He says that on the way home the fuel pump went out and had to be replaced and he discovered that the vehicle also needs a new water pump, a radiator and other mechanical work that will cost about $5,000.

Belushi’s atorney says that Lewandowski’s claim is frivolous and false and as a matter of fact, they have already been to small claims court over this same exact issue, and the court found that Belushi did not owe Lewandowski any money. The attorney says that the new lawsuit that Lewandowski has filed amounts to harassment of his client.

In Multnomah County, Oregon have recently come up with a plan to get more defendants to court, and on time.  They have implemented a new automated telephone system that gives defendants wake up calls to remind them that they are due in court.

Since the phone system started calling up a sampling of criminal defendants, the amount people accused of crimes who skip their court dates has dropped from 29 percent to 16 percent.

The pilot run of the system shows results that are so promising that within the next few months, the automated system will dial up all of the approximate 72,000 people charged with crimes in the county each year.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a man was recently seen near the courthouse walking around with handcuffs dangling from one of his wrists.

People certainly noticed and called the police out of concern. When police arrived the man said that the handcuffs were just a fashion statement.

The man was described as wearing “goth” clothing and had one end of the the handcuffs closed on one of his wrists, with the other cuff loose, giving the appearance to some that he was escaping from them.

While the incident made people a little nervous, it wasn’t a crime. Police checked the man for any outstanding warants, and when they found none they released him.

A suspect made an unusual move while being chased by police in Phoenix on Tuesday.

Police say they were in pursuit of the man who was suspected of robbing a bank when the man stopped in at a convenience store to buy a pack of cigarettes, then resumed running from them.

The clerk at the convenience store said the man seemed to be in a hurry but he did not realize at the time that he was involved in a police chase.  The man took the cigarettes and flipped a $20 bill at the cashier on his way out.

The chase finally came to an end when police used a spike strip to puncture one of the suspect’s tires and then took him into police custody.

Next month a couple who met while serving on a murder trial jury say they plan to get married.

Tracy Nagy, alternate juror number 3, and Jonathan Cinkay, juror number 6, served on a jury together last year that convicted a murder defendant.  Now the judge who presided over the murder trial plans to marry them.  The pair got their marriage license last week.

One day during the trial last year, the two jurors got together during a lunch break and instantly clicked.  They didn’t have a problem not talking about the case, it was probably the furthest thing from their minds as they were falling in love!

Fellow jurors reportedly played matchmaker with the couple and the judge recalls there was something different about the demeanor of the jury during the trial.  He says they all seemed happy.  He had no idea at the time that they were watching love blossom behind the scenes.

Let’s hope they never have to spend another day in court together!

A Maryland man was sued for defamation by his former girlfriend and the jury has awarded her $52,000 in damages.

Charles W. Azain says he supposes he was suffering from temporary insanity when he wrote a 54 page book of lies about his ex-girlfriend and distributed it to her friends, family and co-workers at a middle school.  The book, titled “The Bonnie Chronicles”, falsely claimed that Bonnie Gifford has HIV and suffers from bi-polar disorder.

The jury took just 30 minutes to deliberate and decided that Azain was liable for defamation of character.  His ex-girlfriend, Bonnie Gifford, was awarded $50,000 in punitive damages and $2,000 in compensatory damages.

The Florida Supreme Court, to protect the public, recently disciplined 17 attorneys, disbarring five of them from the practice of law. According to the North County Gazette, nine attorneys were suspended, one placed on probation, one reprimanded, one found guilty of indirect criminal contempt, and one permanently barred from practicing law in Florida. Restitution was ordered in two cases and attendance at ethics courses ordered in another.

The lawyers were punished for a variety of unethical actions, including failure to have written fee agreements, maintaining improper records, improper use of firm bank accounts, and inadequate representation of clients.

Brian Edward Norton, of Tallahassee, was permanently barred from practicing law. He was found guilty of indirect criminal contempt. He was convicted of representing a criminal client while his license was suspended and given a suspended sentence of five months in jail.

Perry S. Reich, of Jamaica, New York, was disbarred following being found guilty of three felonies, including forging a judge’s signature.