Defense Witness Statements
Elliott Ott, the defendant:
I was at CK's Sports Bar watching the Lakers and Celtics playoffs game from 5 PM-7 PM the night of Thursday, May 10th. It was a busy night and my regular seat was taken, so I sat in the back of the bar. After a while, I decided to head home. It was quickly getting dark, so I decided to take a shortcut through an alley. When walking through the narrow corridor, I found a black purse lying on the ground. I picked it up and decided to look through it to find identification. As I was heading out of the alley and rummaging through the purse, an officer stopped me to take the purse I had found. I was really nervous to have an officer stop me because I have never been in trouble with the law before. The officer was very rude and demanding. The questions he asked me had obvious answers, but I was in such shock that I became speechless. I couldn't even tell him my name at first.
I originally told the officer I was coming from work because I was ashamed that I was unemployed. I admit it was wrong to lie then, but I eventually told the truth. I was at the sports bar watching the game and cheering for the Celtics. I never bother to keep receipts for my drinks, so I had no evidence on myself that I was actually there. If I had known that I would have been stopped by an officer, then I would have. There is no way that I would have stolen someone's purse. I may be unemployed, but I am not desperate. I can still make ends meet, and I have a girlfriend and friends to help me out if I ever need it. Being a pro track runner has certainly crossed my mind, but being a purse-snatcher most definitely has not. I am a good citizen and have never been in any kind of trouble before.
I originally told the officer I was coming from work because I was ashamed that I was unemployed. I admit it was wrong to lie then, but I eventually told the truth. I was at the sports bar watching the game and cheering for the Celtics. I never bother to keep receipts for my drinks, so I had no evidence on myself that I was actually there. If I had known that I would have been stopped by an officer, then I would have. There is no way that I would have stolen someone's purse. I may be unemployed, but I am not desperate. I can still make ends meet, and I have a girlfriend and friends to help me out if I ever need it. Being a pro track runner has certainly crossed my mind, but being a purse-snatcher most definitely has not. I am a good citizen and have never been in any kind of trouble before.
Lisa Nouveau, Ott's girlfriend:
I have been Elliott's girlfriend for two-and-a-half years, and in all the time I have known him, he has always been an upstanding citizen. He's never even received a parking ticket. True, he has been unemployed for a couple months, but he has always been responsible with money and never gambles recklessly.
It seemed like he had everything under control, and even though he was upset when he was laid off, he quickly jumped back and started applying to various firms. He has since stopped spending money on everything other than the essential basics - he has even started trading in empty water bottles at the local recycling center for some extra cash. He wouldn't have needed to steal any money, because he knew he could have asked to borrow some from me. I love Elliott, and I know that he would never do anything that wasn't right.
It seemed like he had everything under control, and even though he was upset when he was laid off, he quickly jumped back and started applying to various firms. He has since stopped spending money on everything other than the essential basics - he has even started trading in empty water bottles at the local recycling center for some extra cash. He wouldn't have needed to steal any money, because he knew he could have asked to borrow some from me. I love Elliott, and I know that he would never do anything that wasn't right.
Alex Myers, Ott's former employer
I was Elliott's boss at Omega Accounting for six years before we had to lay him off. He was an excellent employee whom I had hired straight out of college. He was always punctual, resourceful, and rule-abiding. As one of the brightest accountants in our accounting firm, he was good at dealing with our clients' assets quickly and efficiently. After he was laid off, we were still giving him severance pay for several months afterwards. Lately, I have been helping him get another job at another firm by writing recommendation letters for him. A hiring agent of the firm even called me recently to inquire about Elliott. Elliott was on his way towards getting a new job and I do not believe that he would have stolen anything for the sake of quick cash. He is far too upstanding a man for that.