Desertdog
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Where are the pro 2nd Amendment attorneys hiding?
B'klyn DA sticks to
his guns but lowers dad's rap
By NANCIE L. KATZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/story/66374p-61830c.html
Brooklyn prosecutors back-pedaled yesterday on weapons charges against a Navy veteran who shot an intruder in his home - but would not drop the case.
Prosecutor Dawn Flowers moved to reduce the charge against Ronald Dixon to attempted possession from illegal possession. A conviction would not require a jury trial and could land Dixon in prison for up to 90 days instead of a year.
"He says he had the gun," Flowers told Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Alvin Yearwood. "There are no facts in dispute for a jury to find."
Dixon, 27, shot and wounded Ivan Thompson after catching the career burglar prowling in his toddler's room on Dec. 14. Dixon is not charged in the shooting.
Defense attorney Andrew Friedman called the offer from the Brooklyn district attorney's office hypocritical. "I would suggest the people are seeking to avoid a jury case to prevent the citizens of Brooklyn from making a determination whether Dixon is guilty or not," Friedman said.
Yearwood will rule on the motion Tuesday.
Dixon gained widespread sympathy after he was charged with a crime for defending his family.
He said he bought his pistol in Florida, where gun purchases require no paperwork, and tried to register it here. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has said he found no proof the Jamaican immigrant attempted to make the gun legal in New York.
The district attorney first offered a plea deal that would have allowed Dixon to spend four weekends in jail. Dixon rejected that offer, saying he has to work every day to pay his mortgage and support his family.
Yesterday, Hynes spokesman Jerry Schmetterer said the DA is backing off slightly because the case calls for "tempering justice with mercy."
Dixon said he was disappointed in the new offer.
"I was hoping it was going to be dismissed," he said.
Originally published on March 12, 2003
B'klyn DA sticks to
his guns but lowers dad's rap
By NANCIE L. KATZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/story/66374p-61830c.html
Brooklyn prosecutors back-pedaled yesterday on weapons charges against a Navy veteran who shot an intruder in his home - but would not drop the case.
Prosecutor Dawn Flowers moved to reduce the charge against Ronald Dixon to attempted possession from illegal possession. A conviction would not require a jury trial and could land Dixon in prison for up to 90 days instead of a year.
"He says he had the gun," Flowers told Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Alvin Yearwood. "There are no facts in dispute for a jury to find."
Dixon, 27, shot and wounded Ivan Thompson after catching the career burglar prowling in his toddler's room on Dec. 14. Dixon is not charged in the shooting.
Defense attorney Andrew Friedman called the offer from the Brooklyn district attorney's office hypocritical. "I would suggest the people are seeking to avoid a jury case to prevent the citizens of Brooklyn from making a determination whether Dixon is guilty or not," Friedman said.
Yearwood will rule on the motion Tuesday.
Dixon gained widespread sympathy after he was charged with a crime for defending his family.
He said he bought his pistol in Florida, where gun purchases require no paperwork, and tried to register it here. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has said he found no proof the Jamaican immigrant attempted to make the gun legal in New York.
The district attorney first offered a plea deal that would have allowed Dixon to spend four weekends in jail. Dixon rejected that offer, saying he has to work every day to pay his mortgage and support his family.
Yesterday, Hynes spokesman Jerry Schmetterer said the DA is backing off slightly because the case calls for "tempering justice with mercy."
Dixon said he was disappointed in the new offer.
"I was hoping it was going to be dismissed," he said.
Originally published on March 12, 2003
