Midwest
Perez Hilton says Jussie Smollett decision won't help 'tanked' career: Court didn't dispute hate crime hoax
Pop culture expert and crime buff Perez Hilton says the Illinois Supreme Court’s Jussie Smollett decision didn’t dispute the accusations against him when it let him go from prison. It just ruled on a technicality.
And that may not help revive the disgraced actor’s “tanked” career.
“Unfortunately for Jussie Smollett, this won’t do him much good,” Hilton said. “Even though it has spared him from any time behind bars – so it literally did him good in that sense – but he wasn’t going to spend that much time locked up anyways.”
Smollett, who is Black and gay, initially told Chicago police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks in January 2019. Then two brothers, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, said they were the masked men and that they helped Smollett pull off a hoax.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT CONVICTION OVERTURNED BY ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT
Smollett was convicted on five of six charges of disorderly conduct. (Nuccio DiNuzzo)
Kim Foxx, a progressive Democrat district attorney who oversaw the initial case, dropped the hoax charges against Smollett as part of an agreement in which he forfeited his bail money and was told to do community service. But he was later indicted by a grand jury with a special prosecutor on the case, tried and convicted.
People are going to see the headline, gloss over the details and continue to keep their opinions of him, Hilton said.
Special prosecutor Dan K. Webb blasted the court’s decision as “unprecedented.”
Hilton, like Webb, noted that the court didn’t address the allegations or throw out the evidence that Smollett conducted a hoax and then led Chicago police to waste limited resources trying to solve a hate crime that didn’t happen.
Hear more from Perez Hilton on the Jussie Smollett decision:
JUSSIE SMOLLETT’S CAREER HAS ‘HIT BOTTOM’ DESPITE MAINTAINING INNOCENCE OVER HATE CRIME HOAX: EXPERT
“Today’s decision is only possible because of the unprecedented resolution of Mr. Smollett’s initial case by the Cook County State’s Attorneys’ Office (CCSAO) in March 2019, which the Illinois Supreme Court determined barred Mr. Smollett from any further prosecution,” Webb said in a statement.
“The Illinois Supreme Court reached this decision notwithstanding the fact that the CCSAO dismissed the initial Smollett case via a nolle prosequi, which does not bar re-prosecution under Illinois law, and Mr. Smollett’s own lawyers told the public immediately following the dismissal of his initial case in March 2019 that there was ‘no deal’ with the CCSAO.”
This booking photo provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office shows Jussie Smollett. (Cook County Sheriff’s Office via AP/File)
Some legal experts agreed with the court’s finding.
James Scozzari, a Michigan-based defense attorney who handles cases in multiple Midwest states, said it’s similar to what happened with disgraced actor Bill Cosby, when he was released from a Pennsylvania prison for similar reasoning.
Cosby had entered a non-prosecution agreement with a Philadelphia district attorney only to have another one bring charges against him over the same accusations.
Brothers Olabinjo Osundairo, right, and Abimbola Osundairo appear outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Feb. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“Similar to the Cosby reversal, the DA initially agreed to non-prosecution dismissal in exchange for Smollett giving up his bond money,” Scozzari told Fox News Digital. “Refiling the case violated that agreement, hence double jeopardy.”
Smollett’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, said it boiled down to whether the state has a responsibility to honor its agreements in court.
“We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation and we, therefore, reverse the defendant’s conviction,” he said.
Read the ruling:
BILL COSBY’S LAWYER ASKS SUPREME COURT NOT TO REVIVE HIS SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE
“Justin Smollett’s career has tanked, and I don’t see that changing as a result of this outcome,” he said.
Still, Hilton said, people shouldn’t be canceled “forever.”
He shared some advice for Smollett, if he has the work ethic to hit the ground running.
“He doesn’t need a ton of money,” Hilton said. “He just needs the work ethic and the ideas, and if he has that, he can make things happen.”
But he’d be wise to let other people be the face of his projects, he added.
“He should be making these projects for others to star in and not as vehicles for himself,” he added. “So I think my suggestion would be, be a creative behind the scenes, and you can hopefully still be fulfilled and monetizing that way.”
Fox News’ Lauryn Overhultz and Matt Finn contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
A wildfire several miles north of Two Harbors, Minnesota, has grown to over 370 acres, according to officials.
In a Saturday morning update, the Minnesota Incident Command System says the Stewart Trail Fire is 0% contained, but firefighters are working to establish a containment line with heavy equipment such as dozers, as well as handlines. Crews worked on containment overnight.
MICS says numerous aircraft — helicopters, scooper planes and a single-engine airtanker — helped fight the fire by dropping water and fire retardant.
Crews determined overnight that the fire size is 376 acres.
Video posted to social media shows the wildfire scorching trees and structures along Highway 61. The flames can be seen near Betty’s Pies, which was among the businesses evacuated.
Evacuations have been ordered in an area between Two Harbors and Castle Danger. More evacuation details can be found on Lake County | Fire Safety & Evacuation.
Authorities have closed Highway 61 at County Highway 2 in Two Harbors and at County Highway 106 in Castle Danger. A detour has been set up for those who need to travel around the area.
Gov. Tim Walz issued a statement on social media Saturday morning.
“We have a number of agencies responding to help communities with the ongoing wildfires up north, including the DNR, MnDOT, and DPS,” Walz said. “Grateful to all those stepping into harms way to keep their neighbors safe.”
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for 15 counties in parts of central and northeast Minnesota due to extreme fire risk. The affected areas include Cass, Crow Wing, Aitkin, Carlton, St. Louis, Pine, Otter Tail, Wadena, Grant, Douglas, Todd, Morrison, Mille Lacs, Kanabec and Benton counties. It remains in place until 9 p.m. Saturday.
“When fire risk is this high, it’s important to be careful with anything could spark a wildfire,” said Mike Warnke, DNR wildfire administrative supervisor.
Missouri
Man, 20, charged in Kansas City, Missouri, road rage shooting that critically injured woman, 19
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County prosecutors filed charges Friday against a 20-year-old South Kansas City, Missouri, man in connection with a road rage shooting earlier this month that left a 19-year-old woman in critical condition.
Around 12:30 a.m. on May 4, Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the area of U.S. 71 Highway and E. 31st Street after the department’s ShotSpotter system recorded the sound of gunfire in the area.
As they responded, a separate call came into 911 dispatchers reporting a shooting. Police eventually located a shooting victim, later identified by family as 19-year-old JayLee Gross, in the passenger seat of a 2021 Kia K5, suffering from a gunshot wound to her head.
According to court documents, the driver of the Kia told police that he and Gross had just helped a friend fix a flat tire on the highway and were attempting to get back on to northbound 71 to go home. The driver told police that as he attempted to merge, he could not get on the highway without pulling out in front of a dark-colored Ford Fusion.
The driver told police the Ford started to drive aggressively, getting back in front of the Kia and brake-checking it. After exchanging words, the driver of the Ford took an exit ramp from the highway. As the car was exiting, the driver of the Kia told police he heard the sound of several gunshots and glass shattering.
Court documents reveal that the driver of the Kia turned to ask Gross if she was OK, and that’s when he noticed she was unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound to her head.
Using city traffic cameras and vehicle VIN databases, detectives eventually identified the driver of the Ford Fusion as Jamahn Tatum.
After gathering evidence and conducting surveillance, KCPD gang squad detectives arrested Tatum on Thursday, May 14, and brought him in for questioning.
During the interview, Tatum admitted to owning a Ford Fusion but initially denied involvement in the shooting. As police revealed they had tracked his car at the scene, court documents state, “Tatum stared off for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting back in his chair. After a brief moment, Tatum then asked, ‘What are we looking at right here? Deadass bro, this s*** for real, for real is self-defense.”
Tatum eventually admitted to firing the shots toward the other vehicle, repeating his claim of self-defense, saying that if the driver of the victim’s vehicle knew how to drive, “none of this s*** would have happened, I promise you.”
When police asked Tatum why he didn’t contact police, he told them he didn’t think it was serious until he read about the incident the next day and saw that Gross was in critical condition. Police then asked Tatum why he didn’t contact police once he found out how serious it was, to which Tatum said he was scared. Tatum told detectives that he felt bad for the victim, but reiterated he felt he was antagonized by the victim’s driving.
On Friday, prosecutors charged Tatum with first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon by shooting at a vehicle resulting in injury.
Tatum remains in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A significant severe weather threat continues to unfold across Nebraska, with the Storm Prediction Center placing Lincoln in the path of potentially scattered to numerous severe storms through early next week.
WATCH LIKELY BY 4 PM
Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop out in western Nebraska this afternoon and evening. Winds up to 80 mph and hail up to tennis ball size are the main concerns though isolated tornadoes are possible as well.
Saturday Evening: Two Rounds of Storms
The first round of storms is possible late this afternoon, more likely this evening from the south. All severe weather hazards are on the table, including widely scattered strong tornadoes, damaging winds gusting up to if not above 75 mph and hail the size of limes to hen eggs or larger.
A second round of storms will move in late tonight from the west and continue into the overnight hours. While strong winds remain the primary concern, tornadoes and large hail are still possible.
Sunday: Tornado Risk Increases
A Weather Alert Day continues Sunday as the tornado threat escalates. The potential for strong tornadoes is rated high to very high across parts of central and northern Nebraska, especially in the northeastern portion of the state.
Wind gusts up to 75 mph and lime to hen egg sized hail remain possible. Storms are expected to develop late afternoon, with the greatest threat throughout the evening and into the overnight hours.
Monday: Greatest Overall Risk
Monday presents the greatest overall risk once again. A Weather Alert Day is in effect as widely scattered strong to intense tornadoes are possible, along with wind gusts up to 75 mph and hail ranging from baseball to softball sized. The primary timing window is late afternoon through the evening hours.
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