Overdosing On Compassion

Another embarassment for the county:

....the article led to a wisecrack about the deputy treasurer being related to the cop's wife who was charged a few weeks ago for stealing from Bassett's grocery store in Bellevue:

Can you imagine what it'd be like around here if we overdosed on "compassion"?

S A N D U S K Y -- Theft charges against a local woman have been dropped after a municipal court judge said he sympathized with her battle against a gambling problem, Bellevue police Captain Matt Johnson said.  Jodi Gilliam, 52 was charged two weeks ago after being accused of stealing $80 from Bassett's Grocery store in Bellevue.  An internal audit showed that Gilliam had stolen thousands of dollars and used the stolen money to gamble on Ohio Lottery tickets.

"The judge is simply following our recommendations," Johnson said.  "We told him that we sympathize with her plight and that since we all have faults, it wouldn't be fair for us to prosecute her," Johnson said.

In a telephone interview with the Sandusky Regurgitator, Gilliam admitted that she had stoled "alot" of money and that [the situation] "was really bad."  Gilliam pointed out that the Sandusky Regurgitator who was asking her questions wasn't perfect and that everyone has their faults which is why she shouldn't be facing criminal charges for stealing the money.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has announced his decision to disband the State Highway Patrol.  The Ohio State Highway Patrol has existed in one form or another since Ohio became a state in 1803.  Strickland's decision is sending shock waves through not only Ohio's law enforcement community, but throughout the country.  "We all have our faults, so for us to continue to fund an organization like the State Highway Patrol is hypocritical," Strickland said. "I view it as a direct contradiction to an attitude of compassion and understanding for Ohio's imperfect citizens and lawbreakers."

Accused murderer Steven Rodvold won't spend another day behind bars.  Rodvold was released from Erie County Jail after news of a surprise dismissal of his murder charges reached the jail.  Rodvold was accused of killing his father on the back porch of his family's home in Berlin Heights.  "We interviewed Steve and found out that his father was kind of a jerk.  He was mean to Steven and didn't treat him very nicely," said Erie County prosecutor Kevin Baxter.  "We've all been in situations where we were mistreated and I can understand how an unrelenting atmosphere of abuse can give someone a desire to shoot a family member in the head, neck and chest."

The bizarre dismissal is the first of a string of so-called "Compassion Dismissals" from Baxter's office.