LJWorld.com weblogs The Lawrence Crime Blotter
Posted
by Eric Weslander
June 20, 2006 at 5:46 p.m.
CLO worker found not guilty
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A jury today cleared a former group-home worker of most of the abuse charges against him and failed to reach a verdict on the remaining counts. Jurors deliberated for four hours in District Court before finding Dustin D. Taylor, 21, not guilty of six counts and failing to reach a verdict on the other two. He was charged with abusing a mentally disabled man last summer at Ponderosa House, a group home operated by Community Living Opportunities."We thought all along that the state didn't have a strong case and that his conduct was not worthy of charges," said Paul Davis, Taylor's attorney. "What happened really was an employee that was trying to do a difficult job and doing the best he could under some difficult circumstances."Prosecutors alleged Taylor abused the 57-year-old man in two separate incidents last summer.¢ Jurors found Taylor not guilty of all charges related to a June 17, 2005 incident in which prosecutors alleged he failed to use a "gait belt" to lift the man off the ground. Taylor testified he wasn't trained to use the belt. ¢ Jurors found Taylor not guilty of two charges related to a June 28, 2005 incident in which he allegedly lifted the man from a chair by his armpits and squeezed his cheeks together. They failed to reach a verdict on two of the counts related to that incident.Even though there were only two incidents, jurors had eight total charges to consider. In each incident, they could have found him guilty of one of four things: battery, or one of three types of "mistreatment of a dependent adult."The case was prosecuted by the Kansas Atty. Gen.'s office. It's not yet known whether the office will seek a new trial for the charges on which a jury couldn't decide-- in part because there may be double-jeopardy concerns. Judge Michael Malone asked Deputy Att. Gen. Rex Beasley whether his office wanted to try the case again, assuming it legally could."I'm not in a position to answer that," Beasley said.Contributed by [Eric Weslander.][1] [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/ericweslander
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Comments
srj 6 years, 11 months ago
CLO, as of right now, is in BIG TROUBLE!
ForThePeople 6 years, 11 months ago
srj.......Why would you say that? Are you affliated with the Attorney Generals office or simply voicing your "opinion" in the matter? That is a pretty harsh statement. Are you not aware of all the good things CLO does as an agency? By making a comment like that you imply that everyone at CLO is "bad", and I simply cannot agree with that!
srj 6 years, 11 months ago
A jury found a man not guilty because CLO did not train him correctly. That's why CLO will be in trouble, on top of the other "thing" that happened last month. They do good things, yes, but they are government funded.
Godot 6 years, 11 months ago
If Branson were an experienced DA, he would never have brought this to trial. What a waste.
happydays 6 years, 11 months ago
Bronson didn't bring it to trial. That's why the AG had to, Bronson knew there wasn't enough to bring charges.
Nonsense 6 years, 11 months ago
Godot
Evidently you can't read. This case was prosecuted by Phill Kline. Branson wouldn't take the case. But your right, an experienced prosecutor would not have... i.e. not Phill Kline. He is the dufus that lost his license twice!
emtid4u 6 years, 11 months ago
Dustin Taylor was found not guilty because he was Not Guilty!
Kline prosecuted this case because he thought it would fall to the hand of a Public Defender who would plead him.
Kline found out he was wrong, when a top notch defence team of Davis & Meyer showed up to represent him. Kline waisted the taxpaers money. Kline knew he was wrong. But now it seamed personal and political.
Kline and his investigator Harshaw are only in it for the numbers, the quest for personal and political gain nothing less.
In his arrogance he beleived he was undefeatable beleiving no one could beat the infamous Attorney General.
Kline has chased little people and fears the big people. Kline is a bully, bent on shoving people down with his power given narrowly by the voters of the Great State of Kansas.
Mr. Kline you should be ashamed and should be held liable.
Bronson refused the case for lack of Probable Cause. The initial arrest was unlawful. The arrest warrent was falsified.
Mr. Harshaw the investigator should be prosecuted as should Mr. Kline for inciting unlawful prosecution. The have abused thier offices.
emtid4u 6 years, 11 months ago
About CLO and Mike Strouse and what needs to be done. There are people who are in the administration who should be held accountable for the wrong doings of CLO. Strouse and Employees of the Attorney General's office are very chummy with eachother. Do honestly beleive they will be prosecuted?
They have to be. The AG has no other choice! The truth is several broke the law. They need to be prosecuted. They did not report other abuse circumstances the have recently been brought to light. There are other events which occured inb the past they concealed. The Law is specific and the AG has to prosecute. Home rule does not apply. It is a constitutional question that will be answered and deserves fair consideration.
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