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Priorities, please

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Illinois

* I don’t in any way condone or excuse this behavior. No way. No how. It’s stupid and cruel.
‘
But, seriously, how many people were shot in Chicago last weekend? You’d think the police and the state’s attorney would have better things to do with their time…

A West Side man whose video of himself smoking marijuana with his pet chameleon went viral and led to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge was acquitted Wednesday by a Cook County judge who found his behavior immature but not criminal.

Bruce Blunt said he sometimes blew smoke into the mouth of his chameleon, Binna, because it seemed to calm the sometimes aggressive reptile. […]

Chicago police arrested Blunt near his mother’s home after conducting brief surveillance to find him over several days, according to trial testimony. […]

Prosecutors said the video proved Blunt had criminally mistreated his pet.

“It’s just a little guy,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Bagnowski, speculating what effect the marijuana smoke would have on Blunt’s attorney before withdrawing the remark. “He blew smoke not once but twice into its mouth.” [Emphasis added.]

There are people literally rotting in Cook County Jail waiting on misdemeanor trial dates and they’re clogging the courts with this stuff?

Sheesh.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:01 pm

Comments

Couldn’t agree with you more.

But if it had been a pet python that was smoking, that would explain some things.

Comment by Anon. Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:06 pm
The Peoria County Metro Enforcement Group targeted a music festival attended by thousands of people and confiscated a relatively small amount of illegal drugs. 19 people were charged with Class X felonies and now face between 6 and 30 years in prison. Prison time?

Priorities indeed.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:06 pm
I vote him assistant state’s attorney of the year.
Jeez.

Comment by Rufus Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:07 pm
Police funding is largely, largely drug war related. Metrics my friend.

Comment by yo Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:08 pm
His name is Blunt??? Seriously???

Comment by ryan Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:08 pm
I wondered how long it would take a commenter to notice the defendant’s name.

lol

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:11 pm
How many Blunts can you get out of a Bagnowski?

Comment by Deep Yogurt Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:14 pm
If it wasn’t hyperlinked, I would have thought this was from The Onion on the Blunt name alone … though I wonder, is this at all related to the Traveling World of Reptiles Show?

Comment by Anonymiss Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:33 pm
Legalize and tax it! And quit picking on easy targets and go after some real crooks. Whoops, will be 420 soon, gotta go.

Comment by illinoised Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:34 pm
==But if it had been a pet python that was smoking==

…this is Squeezy on drugs.

Comment by Excesseively Rabid Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:38 pm
Wasn’t this the plot of Cheech and Chong’s “Nice Dreams” movie?

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:41 pm
Wonder if the chameleon changed neon colors?
Medical marijuana for chameleons?
There has got to be some kind of pun here somewhere, but I’m not good at that kind of stuff…Anybody else???

Comment by downstate commissioner Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:45 pm
Karma Chameleon. Red gold and green. Red gold and green.
I apologize in advance for this nasty earworm.

Comment by Jake From Elwood Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 3:52 pm
===I apologize in advance ===

“In advance” means you gave us a warning before you posted that awful lyric.

Just sayin…

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:01 pm
Ok, this is a for sure twofer….

1) CPD trying to horn in on spying on the American public. Though that was the job of the NSA. Must be outsourcing….

2) The war on drugs taken to an extreme level of absurdity. Might be a case for medical marijuana. Prescribed by a veterinarian?

Paging Rand Paul…. Paging Rand Paul…..

This could be the starting point for a really good SNL bit…..

Btw, did they drug test the chameleon?

Comment by Judgment Day (on the road) Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:06 pm
How did this “investigation” get past these coppers’ superiors?

Not exactly a great argument for more manpower.

Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:06 pm
What kind of office is Anita running? Certainly not one that seeks out justice or uses resources wisely.

Comment by Precinct Captain Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:09 pm
It is a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not moment!

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:09 pm
To be fair, this has nothing to do with the war on drugs. Mr. Blunt was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. The reason for these charges was not outrage on the part of the police or the prosecutor’s office but likely pressure from animal rights groups who deem any offense against an animal as deserving the utmost punishment.

Now I’m all for locking up people who do terrible things to animals but the fact that the court’s time is clogged up with this kind of nonsense is not the fault of law enforcement–it’s directly attributable to those who liken corporate pig farms to the holocaust.

Comment by downstate Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:15 pm
Downstate, in Chicago, the State’s attorney and police have voices. They can say “NO!” They do it all the time for more serious offenses with which they simply don’t want to deal. Somebody with clout told Anita and the cops to make an example here. She didn’t get where she is because of her stunning good looks. She knows how to serve clout.

Comment by Arizona Bob Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:26 pm
AB, who’s the “clout” pushing the case of the stoner and the iguana? Someone from Geico, perhaps?

Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:31 pm
Arizona Bob, totally tracking your point re: prosecutorial discretion. However, this was a misdemeanor so there was no felony review involved. Also, your point about the clouted getting to the police/Anita is entirely consistent with my argument that an outside group was driving the bus on this case. My guess is someone with an agenda saw this viral video, got mad and picked up the phone.

Comment by downstate Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:34 pm
All the victims of unsolved cases and those suffering from slow response time will be reassured that the system has its priorities straight and are wisely using their tax funds after reading this.

Comment by Logic not emotion Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 4:45 pm
I don’t see how this is cruel. Back before pot was illegal, it was common to blow smoke in the nose of an animal to calm them.

Comment by State worker Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 5:08 pm
He could have been “smoking” him on a Webber and I could care less. When are the people we elect and put in positions of authority going to realize the need to prioritize who they prosecute and leave the pot smokers alone? Turn the people locked up for drugs loose and clear out half of our prison population.

Comment by Nieva Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 5:10 pm
and we still think Anita’s pension analysis is valid? Maybe we should ask the lizard?

Comment by DPGumby Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 5:48 pm
Recreational use of illegal drugs - easy pickings, going after gang bangers using illegal weapons, not so easy. Our penal system is overcrowded with easy pickings, while the shooters run the streets. Something is wrong with this scenario.

Comment by Old Sarge Wednesday, May 27, 15 @ 6:11 pm