Mr. Magoo

Funny article in the Lawrence Journal-World today. Seems Rob Phillips, the former owner of the Eldridge Hotel, has been having some hard times, and recently had an altercation with the police. The funny part was his lawyer's explanation for his behaviour:

...Phillips had months earlier told reporters his version of what happened that night.

Just days after his arrest, he told the Lawrence Journal-World and 6News that he suffered from macular degeneration, an eye disorder, and couldn’t see the officer. He thought he was being robbed.

He couldn't recognize a sheriff because he was blind? I would think the cop car and the uniform would be at least mildly recognizable, even with his "condition". Funny how the lawyer didn't say that he was legally blind, which would have backed up his claim. He also was apparently not too blind to find his gun and shoot the sheriff with it, as he was caught on tape saying the following:

“I’m going to shoot your ass,” Rob Phillips could be heard saying repeatedly on a videotape played Tuesday afternoon in Douglas County District Court. “Let me get my gun.”

I can't be too hard on the guy, as he's apparently depressed and distraught, and his outburst can be excused given the context. However I thought his lawyer's "defense" was laughable. Here's the link to the full story:

Former Eldridge owner to face trial