Janesville man stood mute to sexual assault, battery charges
JANESVILLE -- The man accused of nearly fatally beating an Orfordville woman in May stood mute Wednesday to felony charges of first-degree sexual assault and aggravated battery.
Dustin L. Sperb, 21, of 440 N. Parker Drive, Janesville, appeared in Rock County Court for an arraignment. The judge entered a not guilty plea on Sperb’s behalf.
Sperb is suspected of beating Sandra L. Cole, 47, of 3119 S. Old Highway 11, No. 35, Orfordville, on May 10 in her home in Country Courts Trailer Home Park.
Sperb remains in jail on $40,000 cash bond. A trial will be scheduled at a future date.
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Sep 2, 2009 at 5:25 p.m.
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If theres anyone that knows how to set up a benefit and can help me have one for Sandy please email me at msjkn71@yahoo.com.
Sep 2, 2009 at 3:56 p.m.
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"By standing mute, the accused avoids admitting to the correctness of the proceedings against him or her until that point. By standing mute, the accused preserves his or her right to attack the validity of the proceedings on appeal."
http://public.findlaw.com/abaflg/flg-15-...
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In old English law, standing mute was considered equivalent to a guilty plea. The US established the right in 1825 and the UK in 1827. It is not necessarily available for all crimes in all jurisdictions, though.
Sep 2, 2009 at 2:34 p.m.
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interesting thanx for the info.
Sep 2, 2009 at 1:42 p.m.
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It's the legal system's option for someone who won't work with the system and plead either "Guilty" or "Not Guilty". It wouldn't be too practical to say "Well, since he isn't going to answer, we might as well not bother with a trial", so the legal system has an "out" for such people. The court registers a "stood mute" response to the lack of a plea and conducts the proceedings on the "innocent until proven guilty" basis.
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From a suspect's perspective, this allows them to not admit guilt by pleading Guilty, and not publicly lie by pleading Not Guilty. It also allows their legal counsel to proceed with building a defensive case for the suspect.
Sep 2, 2009 at 1:04 p.m.
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His lawyer is behind that I'm sure
Sep 2, 2009 at 1 p.m.
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Thanks SarahB1, was wondering the same.
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