Quote:
Originally Posted by secondcurve
Jeff:
What about the fact that the police have been to Ward's house on numerous occasions to deal with family disputes? Also, he carries a side arm to protect himself from his brother in law? The family has endless disputes about property, etc. He gets drunk and starts shooting up tree stumps. Some lady drives onto his property and he arms himself to see what she is up to? Do you see a fact pattern?
The bottom line is that Ward brings a lot of his problems on himself. Now that he is out of the big house he should embrace the concept of personal responsibility and stay out of trouble.
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I don't personally know Ward Bird. I don't know if he has a streak of trouble seeking in him.
I do know I have had the police to my house a few times as well and it had nothing to do with MY behavior. And calling the police to settle a problem sounds like what many of his critics here are advocating. So if you call the police to defuse a dispute you are a bad person and if you don't call the police you are a bad person? Let's say for laughs that Ward never carried a gun but called the police. Ms. Harris leaves but comes back several times during the week and the police are called each time. Are the multiple police visits a strike against Ward?
I also don't know Ward's brother in law but from what you say it sounds like he has done threatening things, not Ward. It's not a bad thing to want to protect yourself. Also, you don't get to pick your brother in law.
As to family disputes about property, so what. Many families have constant running disputes about one thing or another, some of them quite nasty. Shared property is a common bone of contention.
He was wrong to shoot at the tree stump and was treated justly according to the law and repaired the damage he did.
Finally, as to staying out of trouble, Ward was in his own house in a moderately remote area, minding his own business. There was some video footage of the drive to his house and there are some VERY obvious signs that tell you uninvited visitors are not welcome. Ms. Harris ignored them AND ignored the verbal request for her to leave. He wasn't looking for trouble. It sought him out and jumped on his back in the person of a very disturbed woman.
BTW, I'm not nominating him for sainthood. I don't know him. However a felony conviction is a very serious thing and shouldn't be reached without some certainty of guilt. This whole case rested on the word of a troubled woman who instigated the whole incident to begin with. Given no vision into their histories I would not convict someone of a felony in a he said, she said case. Given vision into their histories I find Ward a far more credible witness.
And as a final twist, suppose Ward had never took his gun with him but Ms. Harris said he threatened her with a gun? She's made stuff up in the past. No evidence to the contrary would he have been convicted? After all, he COULD have had a gun. There were guns in the house. People would have testified he usually carried one. Just food for thought.