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Judge Burger began motorcycle builder Billy Lane’s sentencing hearing today by stating that he had accepted the plea of no contest to the charge of vehicular homicide submitted to him on June 9^th. He then asked State attorney Tom Brown to start with his opening remarks and recommendations for sentencing. Brown began by submitting a score sheet to the court and the reading off several incidents where Billy had been ticketed for speeding and other traffic violations in an attempt to show that this was not an isolated incident. Tom Brown remarked that these incidents of recklessness showed that this was not an isolated incident, but a pattern where someone was bound to get hurt.

Brown went on to graphically describe the recreation and scene of the crash that brought tears to the eyes of both the Morelock family and Billy Lane. Prosecuting attorney Brown showed aerial photos of the crash scene pointing to the clearly marked double yellow line and pointing out that Mr. Lane had several opportunities to get back into his lane. The results (Brown said) of Mr. Lane’s reckless behavior ended the life of Gerald Morelock. The law states that when you take the life of a human being, you go to jail and that is what we are asking for today your Honor. Brown recommended that the judge stay within the criminal guidelines and Lane be sentenced to 111.15 months in prison, which equates to just over 9 years. In a few moments you will be hearing testimony from the members of the victim’s family, Mr. Lane intends to speak and others are here to appear on his behalf. However, the defense has the burden to prove two things. They need to prove that this death was not a sophisticated homicide and that it was an isolated incident. Indeed, if this can be proven, than the court would be allowed, at the Judge’s discretion to downgrade the recommended sentence. State Attorney then rested and turned the floor over to Defense attorney Gregory Eisenmenger.

The court room was filled with people in support of Billy lane including Hugh “The Chopper” King, Executive Co Producer and emcee of the television shows Biker Build Off and Motorcycle Mania. Some had a chance to speak, while others where there just to show support for the celebrity motorcycle builder Billy Lane. The general consensus was that Lane could do more to have a positive outcome of the incident if he were not incarcerated by giving back to the community by way of public service announcements and helping to build a non-profit memorial in the name of Gerald Morelock.  There were several who made statements on Billy’s behalf including his Father Warren Lane. Sean Morelock, who has been most affected by the death of his Uncle Gerald said that he had come to realize that Lane could do positive things to help children and felt that would have been what his uncle would have wanted.

 Gerald’s brother, Byron Morelock also spoke saying that it was not necessarily his opinion, but thinks his brother would have wanted good to come from the incident. Both Sean and Byron said that the final decision of Lane’s fate rested in the hand of the court.

Billy Lane was then called to the stand and sworn in to make his statement. This would be the first time that Lane had spoken openly to the public about what happened and his feelings. Billy started out by saying I am here today to show everybody who I am, not who you think I am. Lane showed a great deal of remorse and came to tears on several occasions. He described how he had to pass by the spot where he killed Gerald Morelock almost every day and how he prayed for his soul and his family. Billy Lane admitted that he had made a bad decision and was not asking for pity for what had happened. He said he was sorry and asked forgiveness for taking the life of another human being. He stated that he was ready to accept the court’s decision and accepted responsibility for the death of Gerald Morelock. Though Billy showed a great deal of emotion during the hearing and when he spoke. He showed very little expression as his sentence was read.

After hearing all the statements of sending a message and using Lane’s notoriety in a positive way, State Attorney said that a message like this is like a double edged sword. He remarked that children where mentioned several times and that we should think twice about this. Do we want to send this message that could be interpreted differently by the demographics spoken of? The message could be also interpreted to read that if I grow up to be a celebrity, I can get away with bad things. This is not the type of message we want to be sending out to our youth.

After hearing from both sides and with no further statements, Judge Burger recessed for 20 minutes to makes his decision. When the Judge returned, he stated that he found that this was an isolated incident and therefore had opted to downgrade the sentence recommended by the State guidelines. He did agree with the State as to not wanting to send out the wrong type of message and asked Billy Lane to rise. With the downward departure, Judge Burger sentenced Billy Lane to 6 years in the custody of the Department of Corrections to be followed by 3 years of probation. The Judge also suspended Lane’s driving privileges for life along with orders to pay court cost and cost of investigation. The Judge had also sentenced Lane to take a DUI driver awareness class, but later dropped that provision when Eisenmenger stated that Mr. Lane had already completed the class.

Billy Lane was the taken into custody and escorted out of the courtroom with his family and friends shouting we love you Billy.

Edit: I am adding a video that I shot using my Canon Power Shot. It took me a bit to convert and as you can see my regular job set me back on getting this story posted to bein with.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Technorati Tags: billy lane, motorcycle news, motorcycles, law, court, sentencing, melbourne, florida

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(Viera, Florida) Billy Lane was sworn in today for the first time since his arrest almost 3 years ago for DUI Manslaughter causing the death of Melbourne Beach resident Gerald Morelock. Attorney Greg Eisenmenger entered a plea of “no contest” on behalf of Billy Lane before Judge Burger explained the governing rules of the plea. Judge Burger then began to ask Lane the standard questions regarding a plea. There was a slight hesitation of yes your honor when the Judge asked Billy about his mental state. The Judge then asked State Attorney Tom Brown to state the cause for charges filed.

The plea today was entered against the charge of vehicular homicide which was filed late in the case by the state. After the hearing, Attorney Eisenmenger stated that they had been contesting and battling against the DUI and the mishandling of the blood work. Eisenmenger made a point to brief the court of what his plans were to bring forth mitigating circumstances to curtail Lane doing any time in prison. He suggested that Lane would instead be held accountable by means of probation or house arrest and listed other terms of a possible agreement. Some of terms mentioned were that Billy Lane’s drivers license be revoked for life, that he attend drug and alcohol abuse programs and that he would do community service as the court found fit.

Billy Lane left the court room as reporters asked him to comment, however Attorney Greg Eisenmenger told us that Lane would not be making any comments at this time. Lane has not commented publicly about the incident yet.

Outside the court room Attorney Greg Eisenmenger answered questions from reporters. When asked if he was satisfied with a 9 year prison sentence, he responded that he intends to bring forward mitigating circumstances to in hope of working out a deal in which Lane would not be incarcerated. Eisenmenger stated that ultimately the final judgement would be up to the court and could be anywhere from a amount of time probation or house arrest up to the low side of the guidelines which would call for 9 years imprisonment. He was also asked about how Billy was doing and what he was doing. Eisenmenger stated that he did not make a habit of following his clients day to day life, however he felt that Billy was still working in the motorcycle industry as he was. He went on to say that Billy has shown remorse for what happened and even at some points more remorse than what he had been advised.

Sentencing has been scheduled for August 14.

I contacted Byron Morelock, the brother of the victim Gerald Morelock after the hearing and he released the following statement:

As most of you already know, my family has been following this case from day one.
The Plea today is not a surprise.
It is true that this case has taken a long time to get to this point, however,
I have always attempted to have faith in the system.
There are many different and diverse opinions out there concerning every aspect of this case. That in itself, demonstrates how our country
Can be so diverse yet held together like timeless glue.
I have been in contact with all parties involved in an attempt to find ways
to turn this tragedy into a more positive outcome. In my heart I know that this is what my Dear Brother Gerry would have wanted. I want people to understand that I am handling this as Gerry has shown me, not necessarily as I want.
I would like to thank so many people for their prayers and good wishes and support

sincerely,
Byron & Seany Morelock

Technorati Tags: billy lane, motorcycle news, melbourne, florida, motorcycles, viera, DUI, court, law

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Recently elected to the chair, Judge Robert Burger had inherited a massive overflow of lingering cases left undecided by previous Judge Meryl Allawas. Though Judge Burger made no formal announcement, he appeared determined to clear up the case load and stood firm on keeping a solid schedule to clear the docket of the older cases. As each case was called he explained to the parties that they needed to ready their case without any further postponement.

Billy Lane had been facing the single felony charge of DUI Manslaughter for over two years up until last month when a additional charge of vehicular homicide was filed. When the Judge called for the case of the State of Florida verses William Lane,  defense  attorney Eisenmenger stepped forward and made a surprise statement that he had resolved the case with the Sate and they were working on a plea. State Attorney Tom Brown stepped forward to acknowledge the plea bargain, but then both attorneys approached the bench and talked with the Judge for about 2 minutes.

It was not stated for the record what type of agreement had been made and there was no mention of when an official announcement might be heard. The next date posted for a hearing is on February 9th, but that date may be cancelled until the two parties reach their final agreement. I spoke with Byron Morelock by telephone and he confirmed that he would be involved in the agreement, but he was not able to give me any more specifics on dates or times either. He seemed to be relieved that the case is finally growing to an end, but stated that no mater the final outcome it will remain a sad fact that nobody wins in a case of this nature. Byron Morelock is the brother of  Gerald Morelock who was the victim in this case. Gerald Morelock was killed back in September of 2006 when the Dodge pickup Billy Lane was driving struck him head on. Lane showed no emotion as the announcement was made and appears to have accepted the fact that he will not have to stand trial for the the two charges now that arrangements are being made that will decide his final fate in this case. While it was said that Lane could receive as much as 15 years in prison if convicted of either charge, the State Attorney had previously stated that a plea bargain would not be accepted for anything less than 10 years. Still, even after the announcement today, the exact amount of time still remains unknown.

Technorati Tags: billy lane, motorcycle news, melbourne, floirda, DUI, celebrity, drunk driving, law, legal

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PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 19, 2009 — LegalForce , the largest community of American lawyers on the Internet, announces a day of service for lawyers across the United States to answer legal questions of Americans for free to commemorate the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. LegalForce is the largest community of American lawyers on the Internet with more than 315,000 American lawyers and legal professionals. Commemorating Barack Obama’s historic inauguration to the United States presidency tomorrow, lawyers across the country have united to volunteer their time to answer questions for free for all Americans through the LegalForce Answers forum.

LegalForce includes a free legal questions-and-answers forum that provides personalized answers to consumers’ specific legal questions. “LegalForce Answers” is the largest legal Q&A website where users can find and vote on the best attorneys in their cities and states – through their LegalForce best lawyer profiles – and the quality of their answer through votes from the community of LegalForce users.
In addition, “LegalForce Answers” lets consumers answer questions so that they can share their own experiences with others who are struggling with similar legal issues.

“We’re pleased to be able to answer questions of any type on a pro-bono volunteer basis today, and help those individuals who cannot afford a lawyer through LegalForce,” comments Jason Smith, a public interest lawyer in New York. Through LegalForce, individuals from all walks of life can their questions answered by registered American lawyers working on a pro-bono basis.

“Consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet to research their legal issues in these trying times.
Bankruptcies, foreclosures, and personal financial issues are on the minds of many Americans. LegalForce Answers
today provides a fast, free and easy way for consumers to get answers to their questions, and at the same time, provides them with even more information and guidance to help them get the advice they need,” said Wendy Weinstein, LegalForce product manager. “LegalForce Answers also lets lawyers who want to do good during this historic election demonstrate their expertise and share some initial guidance with consumers in need.”

The launch of “LegalForce Answers” creates an online community focused exclusively on legal issues where consumers can ask specific, highly detailed questions – even anonymously to protect their privacy – or search a database of questions asked by others on a broad range of legal issues. Users can also be automatically notified when questions or answers are posted on specific topics of interest to them, or when a specific lawyer posts a new answer to any question. Answers can come from both lawyers and non-lawyers.

“LegalForce Answers” is also the only legal Q&A forum that recognizes those lawyers who volunteer their time during this historic time provide helpful answers as judged by the community of LegalForce users. Lawyers can achieve different “levels” based on the quantity and quality of their answers, and that level is displayed together next to each answer they provide, as well as in their LegalForce Profile.

In addition to being able to vote on the quality of an answer and view other people’s votes, consumers can assess the background of every lawyer who provides an answer by reviewing their LegalForce Rating and LegalForce Profile, which includes a lawyer’s professional experience, industry recognition, and client endorsements. To make that easy for the consumer, a link to the lawyer’s LegalForce Profile is displayed beside every answer.

LegalForce Answers is a great forum for consumers to ask questions on bankruptcy, foreclosures, legal disputes, other legal questions for free in these trying times. As Barack Obama takes on the American presidency, lawyers across the world have united to answer questions of consumers for free through LegalForce.

About LegalForce

LegalForce is a lawyer search website that rates and profiles every attorney to help consumers find the right lawyer. In addition to detailed lawyer profiles, the free site includes the LegalForce Rating, outstanding attorneys across every major city and small town in America.
LegalForce gives every attorney a free online profile and an opportunity to give and receive peer endorsements. The website currently includes profiles and ratings on licensed attorneys in all 50 United States. Founded in July 2008, LegalForce is privately held, with angel funding from private investors and venture capitalists in the Bay area.
For more information, visit http://www.legalforce.com.

Distributed by eReleases – http://www.ereleases.com

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Only days after the long running Billy Lane DUI case had a new Judge appointed, the Florida State Attorney’s office has filed a new charge against the Melbourne motorcycle builder. For over two years Billy Lane has faced the single felony charge of DUI Manslaughter and has appeared many times in the court of Brevard County Judge Meryl Allawas. Judge Allawas was voted off the bench in last year’s election and Judge Robert Burger has now taken over her case load. One of the cases still pending to be heard is the trial of custom motorcycle builder Billy Lane. Lane had three charges filed against him in 2006 for his involvement in a crash in Melbourne Beach that caused the death of 56 year old Gerald Morelock.

The case has taken many different courses since Lane’s arrest including two of the original charges filed against Lane being dismissed and original defense attorney Kepler Funk being replaced by Gregory Eisenmenger. With a trial date now set for February 9th, the State Attorney has filed a new charge of vehicular homicide against Billy. Lane is accused of attempting to pass cars in a no passing zone on Highway A1A while driving a 2006 Dodge pick up owned by Chrysler Corporation on September 4th, 2006.  The truck Lane was driving struck Morelock head on while riding his motor scooter and caused his death. Billy Lane and female passenger Erin Derrick were both injured in the crash as well, but were both released from the hospital.

Florida State Troopers suspected Lane of driving impaired and later drew blood by force at the hospital. The blood sample came back from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab testing positive for an illegal amount of blood alcohol. The blood sample taken that night has been a major part of contention in the case and motions filed by the defense are trying to strike it as evidence. It was later revealed in a autopsy report that the victim also had been drinking. The victim’s family as well as the passenger in the crash have both filed civil suit against Lane and Dodge for damages. The civil case filed by the mother of Gerald Morelock has been settled, while the case filed by passenger Erin Derrick remains open and has been moved out of county.

Lane still faces 10 years in prison if convicted on the new charge.

Technorati Tags: DUI, Billy Lane, motorcycles, motorcycle news, court, celebrity, Melbourne, Florida, law

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The hearing for Billy Lane’s pending DUI Manslaughter charge scheduled for today at 2:00 in Viera was canceled. The next date scheduled for hearing is November 17th. However, State Attorney Tom Brown says that we are getting closer to a trial date to be set.

The state had asked to see the blood work report that had been produced by Lane’s expert witness, but the defense attorney has decided not to use the testimony, results or consultation of the witness they had hired. At the same time Lane’s defense has filed a motion to suppress the blood work as evidence in the case. Because the state was not allowed to view the results of the tests ordered by Lane’s attorney, the State of Florida has now sent the blood work to another expert to be analysed. State Attorney Tom Brown said that the report will be used in conjunction with the original report from the FDLE lab. The exact results of the new tests are not known yet but there is a deposition of the Doctor that performed the test scheduled that will reveal the findings.

I asked State Attorney Tom Brown if he thought this would go to trial and he said that he expects it to . He stated that the State is prepared to go to trial unless Lane was to plea to jail time. I asked what kind of plea would be acceptable and Brown said he would not accept anything less than 10 years jail time in order to keep this case from going to trial. You may recall that Billy Lane would be looking at at least 15 years jail time if he does go to trial and is found guilty of DUI Manslaughter.

Lane is still facing another civil suit that was filed by the passenger of the Dodge truck that he was driving on the night he passed in a no passing zone causing the death of Melbourne Beach resident Gerald Morelock. However, this civil trial that has been filed by passenger Erin Derrick against Billy Lane and Chrysler has been moved out of county and has no court date scheduled at this time.

Technorati Tags: DUI, manslaughter, Billy Lane, Florida, motorcycle news, celebrity, law, drunk driving, melbourne florida, Brevard County

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Update! on 6/18/2008 A new court date has been scheduled for July 10, 2008 at 11:00 am

Technorati Tags: DUI, Billy Lane, motorcycle news, celebrity, Melbourne, Florida, FHP, FDLE

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Eisenmenger told the court that he expects to have reached a decision on how he plans to use his expert witness within 30-45 days, sooner if she required it. “The results are back, I have not had a chance to look them over yet” Eisenmenger said to the court with his arm in a sling. I have an obvious injury and my assistant Mr. Barry is scheduled for surgery on Monday, hopefully we will be able to get this resolved as we both recuperate. Eisenmenger and Barry have not reached a decision on how that are planning on using the blood test results and expert witness for trial. There was an administrative hearing that had some unexpected issues resulting in their uncertainty. Based on these results we will determine if we plan on using Masten as a expert witness or just a consultant, Eisenmenger told the court. There is a 50 50 chance of us using him either way at this time.

State Attorney Tom Brown said that until Eisenmenger makes his decision, he has no choice but to wait. It will be based on the decision of Eisenmenger as to how we will proceed with the depositions in the case. We can not do the deposition of the witness without knowing what to ask and until we see the results ourselves we have to wait. After looking over some notes in the case, Judge Allawas reminded Attorney Eisenmenger of statements made by Ken Barry in previous hearings as to the expected time line.

Billy Lane, his Mother and Byron Morelock spoke outside the courthouse for some time. Byron was hoping to hear news of a trial date being set today, but was set back at further delays in the DUI Manslaughter trial related to the death of his brother Gerald Morelock. Byron and Billy have been talking about working out something positive toward what has happened, but no certain plans can be announced yet.

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Lane is scheduled for a hearing today at 1:30 pm in the criminal case where he is still facing charges of DUI Manslaughter.

More on this story as it unfolds.

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(Viera, Florida) Billy Lane was in court today but remained seated behind the court divider as his defense attorney, Ken Barry, appeared before Judge Allawas in the ongoing DUI Manslaughter charge that Lane faces. The main questions Judge Allawas wanted answered today were if the results were back from the independent lab the defense was using and when she would be able to set the case for trial.

Barry told the court that his office had received oral results on the blood work and based on the results he has ordered more testing. Barry told the court that he hopes to receive the final written results within the next 7 days. State attorney Mike Brown said that pictures were taken of the blood work before it was released and his interest was to see the return of the evidence and the report so that his office could examine the results as well. Both sides of the case should have the results by April 30th at which time more will be known on the exact amount of time that will be needed to prepare for trial.

Judge Allawas set a new hearing date for 1:30 pm on May 16th at which time she hopes to be able to set the case for trial. The mass media turnout for the hearing today was large in anticipation of a trial date being set, however that was not the result of the hearing. You may remember that the Judge had also stated that the final reports from the lab chosen by the defense may not be acceptable to be used as evidence in the trial. All of these questions still remain unanswered even after close to two years since the crash that left Melbourne Beach resident Gerald Morelock dead.

Billy Lane’s custom motorcycle shop, Choppers Inc. closed its doors to the public last year and now the building is empty. The Choppers Inc. web site states that the shop was to be moved in 2008, but there has been no notice of the location of a new shop. Billy Lane could get up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the DUI Manslaughter charge.

Technorati Tags: billy lane, DUI, Manslaughter, Melbourne, Florida, motorcycle news, court, crime, celebrity justice, custom motorcycles

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Choppers Inc. the retail store that Lane owns has been closed to the public for over a year and their web site states that the store is relocating. Billy Lane has continued his work and still makes public appearances while he is waiting for a trial date to be set. Lane recently unveiled his latest project the Henderson Bike in Columbus, Ohio and is in Daytona Beach for Bike Week 2008.

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WESTWOOD, Mass., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — LoJack Corporation (NASDAQ:LOJN) today unveiled its annual wrap-up of the year’s top recoveries for 2007 involving the LoJack For Motorcycles recovery system. These stories underscore that organized crime rings continue to fuel the growing problem of motorcycle theft. The most recent figures from the National Insurance Crime Bureau indicate that motorcycle theft has jumped a full 137 percent since the year 2000. The recovery stories of 2007 also revealed that today’s thieves continue to leverage newer mediums — such as the Internet — to sell stolen parts and make a profit from this lucrative crime.

“Once again, this year’s best recovery stories highlight that sophisticated crime rings are often behind motorcycle theft and that owners need to do everything possible to protect their bikes,” said Ronald V. Waters, LoJack’s President and COO. “Today’s owners need to be vigilant not only about where they park their motorcycles and how they protect them, but also from what sources they are buying parts and accessories, as evidenced by the growing number of thieves who are selling stolen parts online. We’re proud that the LoJack System has been so instrumental this year in helping police bust chop shops and theft rings across the country and apprehend the criminals behind this crime.”

Below are LoJack’s top motorcycle recoveries for 2007:
– “Biggest Single Chop Shop Recovery” – One LoJack-equipped Suzuki GSX-
R600 led Orlando, FL area police and auto theft investigators to
discover a chop shop with 11 other non-LoJack equipped motorcycles, 8
motorcycle frames, multiple motorcycle parts and tools, with a total
value of $200,000.

– “Fastest Motorcycle Recovery” – In this recovery, a Yamaha YZF750 was
stolen from a locked garage in a gated community outside Denver, CO.
Fortunately, the owners also equipped the bike with LoJack and area
police were able to find the bike only SIX minutes after system
activation.

– “Best Bust Reflecting the Trend of Selling Stolen Parts Online” – In
this recovery, a LoJack-equipped Suzuki GSX600 led Chicago area police
to a chop shop with not only multiple stolen motorcycles and engines,
but also hundreds of stolen motorcycle parts – all readied to be sold
online. Officers discovered that the thieves had more than 200
transactions of selling stolen parts online in the previous six months.

– “Best Recovery From a Bike Rally” – In this recovery, the owner of a
Suzuki GSXR1000 had his bike stolen from a rally in North Myrtle Beach,
SC. Fortunately, he equipped the bike with LoJack and area police not
only recovered his bike within mere hours of system activation, but
also found multiple other stolen motorcycles.

– “Best Recovery Showcasing Strength of RF Technology” – A stolen LoJack-
equipped Yamaha motorcycle led police in Fort Worth, TX to the bike’s
location in a metal building. Thanks to LoJack’s Radio Frequency
technology — which operates even if the stolen asset is in a steel
container, under dense foliage or in a concrete building — the bike
was recovered in only 12 minutes after system activation. This
recovery also uncovered a chop shop with other stolen bikes.

About LoJack Corporation

LoJack Corporation, the company that invented the stolen vehicle recovery market two decades ago, is the undisputed global leader in recovering valuable mobile assets. The company’s time-tested system is optimized for recovering stolen mobile assets through its proven Radio Frequency technology and unique integration with law enforcement agencies in the United States that use LoJack’s in-vehicle tracking equipment to recover cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, construction equipment and motorcycles. The company’s Stolen Vehicle Recovery System delivers a 90 percent success rate for cars and trucks and has helped recover more than $4 billion in stolen LoJack-equipped assets worldwide. Today LoJack operates in 26 states and the District of Columbia, and in more than 30 countries throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

CONTACT:
Paul McMahon Jeanne Bock Laura Feng
LoJack Corp. Tier One Partners Tier One Partners
781-251-4130 781-861-5249 978-975-1414

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: pmcmahon@lojack.com

Source: LoJack Corporation

Technorati Tags: motorcycle news, theft, recovery, lojack, busted, chopshop

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Billy Lane was in court today for a hearing still surrounding the blood work evidence. State attorney Tom Brown stated that he is concerned as to the credentials and credibility of Rocky Mountain Labs located in Colorado. Toxicologist, Dr. Lawrence Masten was not present to explain why he wants to use the lab, but defense attorney Gregory Eisenmenger stated that he could testify by telephone if needed.

Lane’s attorney argued that the state should have no ruling over where the blood work would be sent and claimed full responsibility for the evidence once it was under his control “If we lose it, it is on us” Eisenmenger said. Eisenmenger went on to say that he had researched deeply and was not able to find any other case where the state could dictate what lab should be used for an independent study.

Another issue that the state attorney’s office was unhappy with is that Lane’s defense wants both vials of blood for the testing. Attorney Tom Brown said, again we have no issues with the blood being tested, we just want the lab to show some credibility. Even the web site for the Rocky Mountain Labs should show some credentials and it does not, Brown went on to say. Brown also stated that the lab web site has many outgoing links to DUI defense law offices and schools. Eisenmenger injected that the FDLE ( Florida Department of Law Enforcement) web site has many outgoing links to law agencies so this is true with the lab as well(*).  State Attorney Samantha Barrett suggested that only one vial of the blood be sent out of state for testing at a time, to which Eisenmenger argued that this would only cause delays.

After hearing the arguments from both sides, Judge Allawas overruled the states objection to the evidence being sent out of state and said that she would allow the blood work to travel to Colorado. However, the Judge added that the state would be able to argue as to whether the study performed by the independent lab would be admissible if they feel they are not qualified.

Billy Lane still faces a trial for the criminal charges of DUI Manslaughter from the September 4th, 2006 fatal crash that caused the death of Sebastian Inlet Park ranger Gerald Morelock. Byron Morelock, the brother of Gerald Morelock was at today’s hearing. The charges could bring Billy Lane up to 15 years in prison. Next hearing date is set for pretrial confrence on March 5, 2008 at 9:00 am.

*I found this statement interesting, so I took a look at the outbound links for the two sites in comparison. The FDLE site has 10 outbound links, while the Rocky Mountain labs has 290. Using the web site SEO tools, I got the following results for the two sites mentioned.

Technorati Tags: DUI, billy lane, drunk driving, motorcycle news, melbourne, viera, florida, brevard county, celebrity news

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Gregory Eisenmenger estimated that he would need one half hour of the courts time in order for Dr. Masten, his expert toxicologist witness to testify as to why he would need to use a lab that is such a great distance from Brevard County, Florida. Dr. Masten uses a lab that is located in Colorado and State Attorney’s office has objected to the blood work being transported this distance. The motions and testimony were originally scheduled to be heard back on November 6th of last year, however attorney Eisenmenger was engaged in the trial of Florida State Representative Robert Allen who had been arrested for soliciting a male undercover officer for sex in a Titusville park restroom. Judge Allawas excused Eisenmenger’s absence and set a new date for today.

The new date for the motions and testimony has been set for January 18th at 4:00 pm. Eisenmenger will also try to suppress the blood evidence during this hearing.

Technorati Tags: billy lane, drunk driving, DUI, celebrity, florida, melbourne, motorcycle news, trial, viera

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