The Law Offices of Kathleen Colton, Ltd.
Criminal Defense / P.O. Box 1364 / St. Charles, IL 60174
GANG MEMBER’S GIRLFRIEND ACQUITTED OF WITNESS HARASSMENT
The Beacon News, May 14, 1997
By Bill Catching
Staff Writer
Although he acknowledged that Martha Jimenez formed a gun with her hand and pointed it at a police officer who testified against her boyfriend, a judge ruled Tuesday that such actions are not criminal.
Judge Barry Puklin said Jimenez’s actions outside a Kane County courtroom two summers ago did not constitute harassment of a witness, a felony.
“I do not see an intent on her part to annoy or to harass him.” Puklin said. “It was a spontaneous reaction to her grief.”
Jimenez made the gesture minutes after Jose “Junior” Sosa, a high ranking Aurora gang member was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Jimenez and Sosa have four children together.
She and her attorney, Kathleen Colton, who also represented Sosa, said police and prosecutors wanted to punish Sosa through Jimenez by charging her with the crime
“This wasn’t about me,” Jimenez said. “It was about Junior; this was because of him.”
Jimenez and her sister-in-law testified that she made an obscene gesture at Aurora Police Sgt. Michael Langston. Langston and other witnesses said Jimenez shaped her hand like a gun and acted like she was shooting it at Langston.
After the verdict, Langston said it seems police officers are on trial as much as defendants.
“It doesn’t surprise me, “ he said. “It’s gotten to the point where the police officers are to be treated as the target. Everybody can invent (accusations) against the police and you’re supposed to accept that.”
