Wednesday was an important day for Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and his cousin, James Kane, as they were indicted on misdemeanor and violation charges for an alleged altercation with a Buffalo cab driver back on Aug. 9. According to the district attorney in Buffalo, a grand jury also dismissed a felony charge for second-degree robbery. If you'll recall, the two were arrested when they allegedly attacked a cab driver and took their money back when the driver informed them he didn't have 20 cents change to give them.
Gene Warner of the Buffalo News reports the two sides are still working toward an agreement that would "have the Kanes either plead to just a violation, probably harassment, or be granted an adjournment that could lead to the case being dismissed months later."
More from Warner:
If no plea deal is reached, a possible conviction on either of the misdemeanor charges could lead to up to a year in jail, but that's not expected to happen here. "For a first offense, that's extremely rare," Sedita said. "In similar cases, even if the defendants were convicted as charged after trial, it would be unusual for them to see any substantial time in jail." Legal experts pointed out why the third-degree assault charge seems to make sense in this case. Third-degree assault applies when the victim suffers a physical injury without a weapon being used. More serious assault charges, which are felonies, are lodged when there's either serious physical injury or a weapon is used, or both. Law-enforcement sources have said there was no evidence that a weapon was used in the Aug. 9 incident or that the Kanes entered the taxicab with any intent to forcibly steal money.Kane addressed the incident earlier this week at the Team USA orientation camp and apologized for the pain he caused his family, teammates, fans and his hometown of Buffalo.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-19-2009 @ 4:01PM
Kris said...
No surprise there. I sat on a grand jury once and we indicted on every case. For those who don't know, the burden of proof is so low that all that needs to be proven is that it may or may not have happened. Also there is no nothing from the defense, only the prosecuting lawyers can present. An indictment shows nothing. The fact that the felony charges where dismissed however shows that there is little to nothing on these two and the whole thing was blown way out of proportion.
Reply
8-19-2009 @ 5:49PM
rbtltd said...
It is good to see that you were paying attention and learned a good civics lesson on the law.
8-19-2009 @ 7:37PM
fouritiswritten said...
court supervission for 3 months and a vacated record .......end of story
8-19-2009 @ 4:16PM
larry2lee said...
you can bet that kane will be teased by players and fans all season long. he had better be ready.
scoring goals is one thing, having no sense is another.
Reply
8-19-2009 @ 5:10PM
Harold Christie said...
There are two issues here that are not being discussed. Why was a 20 yr. old kid (underage) out bar hopping until 5 AM and why the heck is he so cheap? The kid makes at least $875,000 in NHL salary alone. Give the driver a $20, say "thanks for the ride" and problem avoided.What a spoiled brat punk.
Reply
8-19-2009 @ 6:13PM
matt woodruff said...
Hey let him go he's a pro football player. different set of laws.
Reply
8-19-2009 @ 8:15PM
GOOD LUCK said...
yeah 20 years old,leaves a club at 5am underage!
can't find a girl to leave with him.so he's mad then beats on A 62 year old grandpa then robs em and cuts him up good, what!!
3 years in a federal pen hard labor no parole
Reply
8-20-2009 @ 3:45AM
generalchaos said...
i still think cabbie made it up to get rich off of kane and is not man enough to admit it. his story doesn't fit i really can't see someone who makes millions beat up cab driver over 20 fricken cents folks. the guy hardly makes a living and drunk millionaire gets in cab wouldn't you at least think of way to get rich of the millionaire. the cab driver needs to come clean so charges can be dropped.
Reply