Week 9: The Return of Mr. Paint Affair and the Case of the Chilean Model Amputee

31 March, 2008 This week: 8 hrs. 9:00-5:00 Total: 64.0 hrs.

Today was quite an interesting day, I worked on several very interesting cases. I spent most of the day in the field, and the first order of business was the continuation of the case of the paint store worker that was supposedly cheating on his wife with a worker at a nearby bank. We visited the bank and IDd the woman. It is exciting working 'under cover'. It gives you a different perspective when you are in a mundane situation, like standing in line at the bank, and have an objective that is not only not mundane, but must be concealed from everyone around you. It makes you wonder how many of the people you pass on the street or stand in line with at the market have a secret agenda of their own; if they're watching you....

After positively IDing the bank worker, we headed to Sausalito to pick up some papers to serve from an attorney. You may recognize the case from the news. A model from Chile was hit by a drunk driver in Napa after she got out of her car to adjust a car seat. She had to have both her legs amputated. The papers were to be served to the driver, who was in Napa County Jail. We talked with the attorney for awhile, and he gave me all sorts of advice about life, the universe, and everything. He suggested that after college people should spend at least a year traveling, because it's so hard to find time to do it after you start working. Of course, this guy couldn't complain about travel; he had endless stories about all the cities and countries he visits for his firm's board meetings and the like. Quite an eccentric character. He even had the token town drunk in his waiting room (of course the Sausalito Town Drunk is quite an nonthreatening, jovial man).

Our next task was to head down to the San Francisco Superior Court to file something from another case. We arrived at the court ready to go, and of course it was closed for Cesar Chavez Day. So we went for curry instead. It was very spicy.