Judge after murder: ‘It’s not a perfect system’

[larrymeyer]

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2...a530109989.txt

Judge after murder: ‘It’s not a perfect system’

Published: Thursday, July 23, 2009

cscharr@delcotimes.com

CHESTER — An arrest warrant for killer Aaron Michael wasn’t signed until Monday, hours before he hunted down his former girlfriend and shot her to death.

Andrea Arrington, 23, was murdered outside her grandmother’s home on Constitution Avenue in Ridley Township around 11:30 p.m. Monday.

Five days earlier, she had contacted Chester police because Michael had violated a protection from abuse order. According to Arrington’s family, Michael had been harassing her since she obtained the order in the beginning of July. On the night of July 14, she apparently had enough.

Chester Police Officer William Swanson responded to her call for the PFA violation shortly before midnight on July 14, according to officials. Swanson completed the paperwork for the contempt order the following day and it was forwarded to district court.

According to Magisterial District Judge Robert Blythe, the initial paperwork was time-stamped and he signed it that day. But before a warrant is given to police, it has to be sent back to the judge’s clerk to be entered into the court’s computer system and is given a docket and tracing number. That was done on Friday in the Michael case, according to Blythe.

“I get tons of warrants,” Blythe said. “Obviously, these are all serious offenses. But it takes time to docket all of those files.”

The warrant for Michael was docketed on Friday, two days after the court received it. It was put on Blythe’s desk for his signature on Monday.

“On Monday, I signed the final sheet,” Blythe said, which technically activated the warrant for Michael’s arrest.

“It never got downstairs. I don’t believe they (police) had it when (Michael) actually committed the crime” in Ridley Township.

Blythe, a former Chester cop who signs hundreds of warrants in any given month, admitted the system is not perfect. But it is what they have to work with.

He said his staff works on the warrants each day and gets them done as quickly as possible. But he noted his staff does get days off.

“But that doesn’t make it right,” Blythe added.

“Had this been my daughter …,” the judge said, his voice trailing off.

With the exception of homicide warrants, which are typically hand-delivered to a judge to be activated, it takes about a week or longer for paperwork to wind through the courts, a high-ranking officer said.

“It’s not a perfect system,” the officer said.

[camper]

Very tragic story, but obviously law enforcement is overburdened so they should REJOICE at the idea of citizens arming and defending themselves.

Less work for them.

camper

[PocketProtector]

Very tragic story, but obviously law enforcement is overburdened so they should REJOICE at the idea of citizens arming and defending themselves.

Less work for them.

camper

You would think so wouldn't you? However Government rarely if ever makes sense or cares to make sense. So let's give them more power....sheesh..my head hurts.

Back to the OP....If my daughter had to have a protection from abuse order from some a$$hat like that, you can rest assured she would have 24/7 protection.