Luke Heimlich through the eyes of a Washington attorney

Luke Heimlich through the eyes of a Washington attorney Feb 16, 2018 16:54:27 GMT -8 NativeBeav likes this

Post by Werebeaver on Feb 16, 2018 16:54:27 GMT -8

Feb 16, 2018 14:47:47 GMT -8 NativeBeav said:

Feb 16, 2018 9:28:15 GMT -8 Werebeaver said:

Two final points:

1. I think you are presuming to speak for Luke and his family. It is certainly possible, that he's decided to put the past behind him and look forward. I have not heard anything to the contrary from him.
2. If you are expecting a public apology or a successful civil suit against the Oregonian I think the likelihood of either (not to mention both) is extremely low. So brace yourself for disappointment. This story may never be resolved to your personal satisfaction.

I do not begin to presume to speak for LH or his family. And if he needed to take action last year when the article was written to be able to sue at a later time, then it is a moot point. I believe that when bad people do dishonest, bad things, even if it costs us in time and money, we have a moral obligation to take action. Otherwise, who will be next? When will the BS stop?
Regarding a lawsuit, it is my prediction a good prosecutor could successfully take on the Oregonian, and I bet some would take it pro bono if they really understood how this kid and his family were hosed. Meanwhile, Crapzano and Moron were able to have their fake moral outrage, and make money off of the story and the family, while damaging LH and his family - and indirectly, the university. And no, I will not be disappointed when they do nothing. I rather kind of expect it. Plenty of people in this world are more than happy to be kicked in the groin, so to speak, and not respond. Their choice, not mine.

I guess making a long series of outraged posts on a sports message board might be considered “taking action” on a very limited scale. Although there is certainly no shortage of outrage being vented on any given sports message board at any hour of the day.

I can appreciate that you identify with Luke’s predicament. I sincerely hope it doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of the brand-new 2018 season as it should be an exceptional one.

Luke Heimlich through the eyes of a Washington attorney Feb 16, 2018 17:23:25 GMT -8 baseba1111, blackbug, and 2 more like this

Post by dK on Feb 16, 2018 17:23:25 GMT -8

Feb 16, 2018 16:16:48 GMT -8 nabeav said:

Luke's statement last June:

I have taken responsibility for my conduct when I was a teenager. As a 16 year old, I was placed on juvenile court probation and ordered to participate in an individual counseling program. I'm grateful for the counseling I received, and since then, I realized that the only way forward was to work each day on becoming the best person, community member and student I can possibly be. I understand that many people now see me differently, but I hope that I can eventually be judged for the person I am today.

That seems wholly at odds with the Eggers piece, and this is why I have a hard time believing that this was all made up by his former aunt. This seems to be a second time, completely separate from the original admission of guilt, that he his publicly stating that he made some poor choices as a teenager. If nothing untoward ever happened, why is he leading his statement with "I have taken responsibility for my conduct when I was a teenager?"

The attorney led them to believe chances were strong that, if Luke fought the charges, he would be judged guilty by the court. The attorney expressed that view that the court system favors the testimony of the victim.

Having never been accused of anything in a court of law, I don't know how exactly this works. If there are dozens of cases of people being locked up on the word of a six year old and ONLY the word of a six year old, please let me know. However, I would hope that more evidence than a six year old's word is needed to place a minor in the custody of the state for nine months, separate a child from his parents and bar grandparents access to their granddaughter. The court may favor the victim's testimony, but I think (at least I hope) they don't rely ENTIRELY on that testimony for a conviction.

Again, I'll state my point that I think that from the time he was accused until now, Luke has done everything correctly, and that I think he should be allowed to go to college and play baseball. I also think that Oregon State, the MLB, and any other potential employers have the right to take the story into consideration and decide if they would like that person representing their organization. Oregon State decided they were fine with, MLB teams were not as cool with it.

One last time. I don't think anyone but Luke will ever know what really happened. The girl apparently doesn't remember much if anything and irrespective of the plea bargain, he has always maintained his innocence. But, if you don't think these cases can get out of hand, please google the Wenatchee Washington child molestation scam and read enough to understand what happened there.

If I recall correctly, 43 good upstanding citizens were arrested on the testimony of young children. The "crimes" were "investigated" and charged due to overzealous law enforcement, DA, and social workers. It is pretty obvious that the children's testimony was coached. A number of people took plea bargains, and about half were convicted and imprisoned. Later after the whole sordid affair unraveled, most were exonerated. Some served their sentences. I doubt that any were guilty of the crime.

If you are faced with decades of prison time and don't have the means to hire high priced attorneys you might opt for a plea and a shorter sentence. It is a sad thing but in this country, many people take plea agreements to mitigate their sentences.