Wednesday, August 20, 2008




Troy: the New Old West

If you remember the days when shoot outs took place at high noon and residents feared for their safety all the time, we have some good news, the Old West now has a new home, Troy, New York. District Attorney Rich McNally dismissed an attempted murder charge against James Brown. That's right, James Brown, the hardest working man in street crime who shot his victim in the back in the middle of a bright, sunny afternoon in the summer of 2007. Many witnesses who actually know the defendant observed the shooting, including the victim. The defendant fled to South Carolina and the previous DA had to pay to extradite him.

The original plea offer was 18 years and the current DA office eventually offered him 2 years before dismissing the case. For those of you unfamiliar with the practices of incompetent DA's, a dismissal is a get-out-of-jail, pick-up-your-handgun-on-the-way-out card. The DA's office said it had problems with the witnesses, but the real problem was the lack of experience in McNally's office. An experienced prosecutor knows how to control witnesses. The residents on 6th Ave. ought to be concerned, since a few of the nine shots actually went through one guy's front window and into his living room. Perhaps Lunchpail McNally can help them with preparing their wills.

Yet another major flub by DA McNally in just 8 months in office. What's worse than the fact that he has lost murder cases and numerous attempted murder cases in 8 months? The fact that the press is asleep to his incompetence. Only a few sentences on B10 in the Times Union, and nothing from Troy's paper of record. Despite the limited coverage, the message is louder than ever: if you want to kill someone, come to Rensselaer County.