Sgt. Frank Kaminski glared at the buzzing speaker then put the morning paper down and strolled down to the locked cage door of the police evidence room. March Madness was in full evidence as the sergeant had his Bucky Badger hat, red sweater with a huge W, and On Wisconsin pennant.
"Cubby, I told you I didn't have anything for you about no..." bellowed Kaminski, as he swung open he upper half door at the counter door. He was surprised to find not the junior reporter Cubby O'Brien but instead a tall bespectacled man wearing a hat and trench coat putting a gavel in his pocket.
"What can i do for you Mr..uhhh..." stammered the sergeant.
"Inspector...Inspector Halogen," replied the man wearing a grey fedora with weary resignation. "Bring me the calibration files for an alcohol breath analyzer serial number 221B. Seems somebody is challenging a breath test and it made it all the way to the Supreme Court"
The sergeant looked momentarily confused then said "Here Inspector, I calibrated it myself on the 29th of last month as you can see. Everything in perfect specification."
The inspector glanced at the report and said "Maybe so but it's inadmissable as evidence. Looks like he's gonna walk."
How did the inspector know?
Since it was 2015 there was no leap year and hence the date of the 29th of February on the report invalidated the report as evidence.
Then thirty seconds later...
a voice from behind the two said, "No he won't. This case is now deadlocked." The sergeant and the inspector turned to see the young man with the camera in one hand and notepad in the other and a #2 yellow pencil behind his ear.
"You don't know what you're talking about, sonny" said the inspector.
"Is that so, Inspector Halogen?" asked Cubby as he pulled off the man's fedora and and trenchcoat to reveal an old man in a black robe holding a gavel, "Or should I say Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser?"
How did Cubby know the inspector was Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser?
C'mon - he put a gavel in his pocket...and he's Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser. He's not exactly unknown.Somebody that famous would have to be an idiot to think people wouldn't notice him snooping around where he shouldn't on a case he is presiding over.
Then thirty seconds later...
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser requested to be recused from the case when it hit the press.
Prosser appears to have sought answers directly from the state Laboratory of Hygiene that analyzed the blood sample in the drunken driving case before the Supreme Court. The same day the contact became public, Prosser notified the court he was withdrawing from the case. (emphasis mine)
Then thirty seconds later
Everybody in Wisconsin tuned into the Final Four and it was completely forgotten. Heckuva game though.