Member of Kerry Legal Team to Step Down (prostitution charge)

[gauguin57]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MICHIGAN_DEMOCRATS_SOLICITATION?SITE=WIPOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

snip...

Member of Kerry Legal Team to Step Down

"DETROIT (AP) - A member of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's legal team said he'll step down after receiving a citation accusing him of soliciting a prostitute. He denied the charges.

Melvin "Butch" Hollowell, 44, was expected to appear in court Tuesday, a week after deputies saw the attorney pick up a woman near his Detroit home, authorities said.

His car was pulled over and impounded, but he was not arrested. He was released after he and the woman were cited, sheriff's department spokesman John Roach told The Detroit News for a Friday story. ..."

Oh dear. The Pugs will have a field day. They'll publish a book by the end of the day, alleging Kerry is Hollowell's pimp. Oh dear.

[Ghetto_Boy]

1. A Detroit Ho??? (from 8 mile?) he should resign... idiot

[tlcandie]

2. Wow.. you get your car impounded because of soliciting prostitutes?

I will, again, wait for more on this before posting anything further.

[notadmblnd]

3. Its been the law in Detroit for years

but I'm not aware of any high class hookers hanging out in the Cass corridor or along Woodward between 8 mile and Baltimore.

[noonwitch]

5. Yes, but plenty of women who aren't whores live in that area

I lived at Woodward and McNichols for 12 years. My car broke down a few times on Woodward and motorists stopped to help me. I wrote a long response about this on an earlier thread, but I've met Butch Hollowell and he is a nice guy. When a guy stops to offer assistance to a woman, he doesn't necessarily ask her first if she is a whore.

The neighborhood in question does have a lot of prostitution, women and drag queens. But the neighborhood also has a lot of home owners and cool, classic houses built in the 30s and 40s. There are also a lot of Chaldeans who live in the area.

I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt until I have more information. He could have called rich and powerful friends (i.e. the Wayne County Sheriff) to try to make this go away and didn't. He could have been arrogant and done one of those "Don't you know who I am" things that the mayor's friends always do when they get in trouble.

[tlcandie]

6. I see.. so he does live in an area where prostitutes are common.

I didn't realize that. At any rate, his response seems very straight forward.

Sure are a LOT of fires popping up suddenly while some go off on vacation! :think:

[notadmblnd]

11. I wasn't making a judgment

or implying that the neighborhood didn't have good people in it.

I was just thinking that at this particular point in his life, the man does not need to do business with a $10 crack whore. I would think if he were to solicit a prostitute, that those services can be obtained here much more discreetly than that particular area of Detroit.

[Ghetto_Boy]

8. I lived in the corridor when I went to WSU....

[Ghetto_Boy]

7. Hard to believe but true. There was a case a couple years ago

of a guy driving is wife's car (in her name). He got caught... no mas el carro!

Went to the Michigan Supreme Court and he lost.

Since it is a misdemeanor the punishment seems out of line with the crime. But it has slowed down the street action.. It was out of control for a while.

[tlcandie]

4. From the linked article....

<snip>
In a statement late Thursday, Hollowell called the citation "a gross misunderstanding."

His attorney Gerald Evelyn said the woman had appeared to be in trouble and that Hollowell was driving her to a police station.

"The officers indicated that the woman was a known prostitute," Hollowell said. "No one was more surprised and embarrassed than me when the officers told me this.
<snip>


My question is what was she doing in this neighborhood, IF in fact, she was a known prostitute... setup?

EDIT: Additionally, he's resigned from all of his political posts. Seems to me he's thoroughly embarassed by the whole ordeal. Most who are guilty don't resign, but fight it like hell while staying in positions of power.

[CBHagman]

9. Timing suggests attempt to distract from the Deal Hudson matter.

That's a scandal in the Bush camp.

As I said, interesting timing.

[htuttle]

10. Been there, but not busted

When I drove a taxi in Milwaukee, I noticed that people in Milwaukee don't know how to hail a cab (they use these little pensive arm and hand movements, etc...not like Chicago people who put their whole shoulder into it).

So I'd look for people standing on the curb, make some eye contact, and try to determine whether they needed a cab. Turns out, prostitutes standing on the curb are doing the same thing, but in reverse....

So I pull over for a young woman who I thought needed a cab, she gets in. I say, "Where to?" She responds, "Where would you like to go?" Confused, I ask, "I thought you needed a ride?" She responds, "I thought YOU wanted a ride." Oh.

Sigh. Realizing our mistakes, I pull over and she gets out. End of story.

This could have been just be a misunderstanding on Hollowell's. This could also have been a set up. It's not as if it's that difficult to pay a 'known prostitute' to go stand on a curb somewhere and wave at a car...It's all in Lee Atwater's old playbook somewhere (now annotated by Karl Rove, of course).

[tlcandie]

12. I tend to agree.. why on earth would he stated he was driving her

to the police station?

EDIT: He might have known she was a prostitute and was taking her for police help when she asked as well. Is there something wrong with that? Seems like a catch 22 situation. Damned if you do (police), damned if you don't (conscious) situation.

[dmkinsey]

13. His statement,

I believe,was that he thought the woman was in distress or had some emergency,she was waving her arms. His intention was to take her to the precinct house(nearby?) to get assistance for her problem. She declined and said she wanted to be dropped off at a house around the corner, whereupon the police appeared and cite Mr. Hollowell.

Sounds like a set-up to me.
I've met Butch and he's really a super guy, very dedicated to the Democratic Party and I certainly give him the benefit of the doubt here

DaveK

[tlcandie]

14. There you have it!

From your post...

I believe,was that he thought the woman was in distress or had some emergency,she was waving her arms. His intention was to take her to the precinct house(nearby?) to get assistance for her problem. She declined and said she wanted to be dropped off at a house around the corner, whereupon the police appeared and cite Mr. Hollowell.

INVESTIGATION!! IF they don't find and hold her.. detain her, we will never find out who paid her for this deed!

[On the Road]

15. I Once Picked Up a Hitchhiker in Suburban MD

on a weekday evening and she said she was going up the road. After a minute of silence, she said "So, you want a date?" I started laughing -- it completely went over my head. She said that some guys were just too shy to ask.

But what really burns me up is that I could have had my car confiscated.

[grasswire]

16. you might want to change the headline to the truth

The charge is not prostitution.

The charge is soliciting prosecution.

Come on! Your headline makes Dems look quite a bit worse!