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In Florida, Secrecy Around Stingray Leads To Plea Bargain For a Robber

schwit1 writes The case against Tadrae McKenzie looked like an easy win for prosecutors. He and two buddies robbed a small-time pot dealer of $130 worth of weed using BB guns. Under Florida law, that was robbery with a deadly weapon, with a sentence of at least four years in prison. But before trial, his defense team detected investigators' use of a secret surveillance tool, one that raises significant privacy concerns. In an unprecedented move, a state judge ordered the police to show the device — a cell-tower simulator sometimes called a StingRay — to the attorneys. Rather than show the equipment, the state offered McKenzie a plea bargain. Today, 20-year-old McKenzie is serving six months' probation after pleading guilty to a second-degree misdemeanor. He got, as one civil liberties advocate said, the deal of the century.

2 of 246 comments (clear)

  1. Re:About right by amiga3D · · Score: 5, Funny

    You must be the guy they stole the pot from.

  2. Re:About right by Zaatxe · · Score: 5, Funny

    --- THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC MESSAGE, DO NOT RESPOND! ---

    A level 5 Slippery Slope was detected in your message. It is very dangerous and could start flame wars.
    Please retreat your argument before anyone gets hurt.

    Sincerely yours,

    AFD - Automatic Fallacy Detector

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    So say we all