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The beat report

I’ve been covering a lot of criminal cases in Judge Kenneth Forbeck’s courtroom in the last several months.

It seems like many high-profile criminal cases have landed at his desk since he switched from handling civil cases.

I’ve made a few observations about Forbeck that I thought I would share:

• The judge is direct with defendants in his courtroom. He recently called a defendant a “junkie” more than once and told him he needed to get his life turned around.

• Forbeck keeps a tight courtroom schedule. He is on time. And he doesn’t appreciate it when attorneys want court hearings rescheduled because they’re on vacation or have some personal conflict.

• The judge is fair. A defendant recently handwrote motions on notebook paper and filed them in court. Forbeck took the motions seriously, even though it is unusual for a defendant to try and be his own attorney. Forbeck gave the defendant a fair hearing, and he even seemed complimentary of his legal work.

LEFT IN THE NOTEBOOK

• The boy referred to juvenile authorities in connection with the Milton bomb threat was originally going to be released from the juvenile detention center on electronic monitoring. The county, however, was out of ankle bracelets. The judge then released the boy on home detention. The kid caught a break.

• When I covered the lieutenant governor’s visit to Janesville last week, a couple big dudes in suits stood outside the conference room where her roundtable discussion was held. I’m guessing those guys were extra protection in light of the controversial budget repair bill. They looked like bodyguards.

• I went to cover a court hearing last week and accidentally arrived 30 minutes early. Usually, I can arrive for a court hearing on time and still wait. Court hearings often start late or the case that I’m covering is one of the last cases called. Thanks to laptops and smart phones, I can still work during time that could easily be wasted.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

• The Janesville Police Department is giving away new stickers picturing the new black patrol car. The department has them available in the lobby. I grabbed a couple stickers for my boys.

• I drive along Parker Drive to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office almost every day to check crime reports. This week, I’ve seen a lot of people fishing in the Traxler Park lagoon. Must be good fishing. Many anglers included parents with young children. That’s great to see.

• I hope you like this new blog. I’ve had an idea in my head for something like this for a while. I think it’s more conversational and informal. It’s fun to write. And it’s a great way to purge my workweek.

QUOTABLE

• “You would look a whole lot better without the beard or maybe a smaller beard,” slotjohn53@yahoo.com, in an e-mail to me last week. Thanks for the beauty tip, slotjohn, but I don’t have a beard.

• “Yes, sir,” the 11-year-old boy accused of threatening to detonate a fake bomb on a Milton school bus, when he responded to the judge’s questions in the courtroom.

TWEETS WORTH RETWEETING

• “THAT...is one of the most interesting tweets I've ever read! I don't know who I feel sorrier for...husband or wife?” @MariahHaberman, in response to a tweet about a Footville woman telling deputies her husband got mad because she wouldn't have sex and then intentionally urinated on the floor.

• “Well, if she got into a car crash it’s on the cops, at least she was looking for a safe way home,” @Dashrb20, regarding a drunken woman who called 911 three times because she wanted Janesville police to give her a ride home from the bar.

• “In Newville, 10 is the new 21,” @GenXJanesville, in response to Rock County businesses ticketed for selling alcohol to underage adults during alcohol compliance checks.

FAVORITE FACEBOOK COMMENTS

• “This poor kid needs help, not condemnation. It does not make what he did right, & he must realize some punishment, but, look at the life he has been dealt. The sooner he gets the proper aid, the better off he will be, & the people around him. He needs LOVE & CARING,” J. A. K. B., regarding the Milton boy accused in the bomb threat. The boy has been in foster care and his mother is in prison.

• “Apply as co-staff. Get a job. And buy your damn smokes....and make some money. It’s not that hard, people,” C.S., regarding a man who robbed a gas station.

• “Does that fall under the category of ‘drunk dialing?’” M.J., regarding the drunken woman who dialed 911 three times for a ride home from police.

• “I think there are plenty of things that are far more worthy of money then doing test on a raccoon. Good work by the officer for saving the people money by shooting and disposing of the animal,” J.W., on a police officer shooting a sick raccoon and putting it in the landfill.

• “Oh you, Janesville,” J.B., on a man calling police, saying his "house was falling apart and that he needed help and no one was helping him."

OFF THE BEAT

• One of my NCAA brackets isn’t busted. I’m actually in first place. That’s pretty unusual.

• I went to Illinois on Saturday to visit family members and a friend. I hate, absolutely hate, paying those tolls. But I figured out how to avoid one booth. All I need to do is get off my usual exit a couple exits earlier. It saves me 30 cents. Take that, Illinois.

• I went to a surprise birthday party Sunday for the first time in my life. We arrived early, turned off the lights and hid until the two birthday guests arrived. I’ve never done the whole “surprise” thing before. It was fun.
  

LOOKING AHEAD

• I’m off work next week. I plan to unplug the entire time. No computers. No Facebook. No Twitter. No blogging. Nothing. I’m looking forward to it. See you when I get back.

Ted Sullivan can be reached at (608) 755-8253, tsullivan@gazettextra.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook at Rock County Crime.