New Britain herald., 1928-02-11
WOODS CRI7lCIzES
 LEGAL FRATERNITY
Decllrs LVyas Trtlt Hatpr
 Law Violations Lightly

There Is a tendency on the Dart Of lawyers to minimize the serjoum- Eess of violations of the motor ve- hicie laws" Prosecuting Attorney J. G. Woods told Judge M. D. 0axe in police court today, asking thai probable cause be found in the ease Of Edward Derainge, aged 19, ef'l61 Hartford avenue, on the 'charge Of taking an automobile without the permission of the owner. The statute provides t1,oO0 fine for the Arst offense and there are also provisions for heavy jail sentences for succeed ing offenses, MT. Woods pointed out. and he felt Derainge should be deaJ. with by superior court. T suppose you want to give him about 4n Greenberg, representing Derainge. to which MT. Woods replied: '1'd like to give him 140 years. think i he deserves it.
 | Judge Sake said the statutes allow wide field of discretion in cases of violation of the motor vehicle laws, and as this case was different from many others he felt disinclineA to hold the young man for superior court. He imposed fine of S56 and costs and suspended jail sentence of 60 days.
 Sergeant J. c. Stadler testified that he was detailed on Sept. 12. 1921, to ipvo uf I oo to n nnv, rlaiut that . cad ster had been taken out of H. Chesky & Sons garage. It developed that the car had been smashed in an accident in Colchester and lowed to local garage. Derainge was found to have taken 1t and his fath- CT offered to make . settlement for the damage. Derainge was not To- cated until yesterday afternoon when Sergeant Stadler saw him on Hart ford avenue and arrested him.
 David WhaItman of H. Chesky < Sons testified that Derainge was in the company's employ when the car was taken on Sept. 10, 19e7. He had not given the young man permission to take the car and when he learned it had been smashed he went to De- lainge's home and the young mans father offered to pay for the dam age. The car was worth about $175. according to Whaltman.
 Derainge, who pleaded not guilty, testified that he asked Whaltman for permission to borrow tfre> car on September 9. Whaltman was busy and might not have heard the re- quest. Derainge said. but he took the car nevertheless and the following night, while in Colchester, an acci- dent occurred. He said he was in bed ten days after the occurrence. and later he was in New York where he drove a team of horses. He be- lieved the taking of the car had been strengthened out satisfactorily and was surprised when he was taken in to custody.
 Attorney Greenberg asked for len iency and declared that the case was not in the category of those aris- ing from the taking of automobiles by strangers. Derainge was trust ed employe of Whaltman and had lHt IdI uCSu lStulACA HI 6VoN NVsANA- tion there would not have been any police action. It happened that there was an accident and complaint followed. There was a technical violation of the statute, the attorney admitted, but he felt the case was deserving of mild treatment. De rainge has no money and would be unable to pay fine. the attorney said. He asked that a suspended Jail sentence be imposed rather than money penalty because the young man would be obliged to go to jail and work out fine at the rate of $1 day.
 Vincent Squillaciote, aged 2S. Of sS Cottage Place. was fined $7 and costs On the charge of breach of the peace and assaulting Arnold Fink of Co., lumbia street. He pleaded guilty and was represented by Attorney Al fred Levitt, who asked for a sus- pended sentence, pointing out that no serious damage had been done and the young man is employed and is one of 8 large family to whose support he contributes.
 Supernumerary Officer Cyrus Schoonmaker testified that he arrest ed Squillaciote about 7:lo last eve ming in front of the Center church. Fink's face was discolored under the right eye and he was bleeding. while there also was blood on Squil- laciote's hand. On the way to the police station Squillaciote abused the officer and told him he would not be "so wise" if he was not wearing the police uniform.
 He also threatened to get the officer, the latter testified.
 Fink testified that he and some friends were talking and SQuilla- ciote apparently thought . remark had been directed toward him. He attacked Fink with his fists and landed two punches. according to Fink. SQuillaciote did not testify.