Dumb Prosecutor News

It's good sport to point and laugh at dumb criminals. It's even better when said criminal is an assistant prosecutor (via Crime & Federalism):

A Clarke County assistant district attorney resigned today, hours after his arrest downtown where he refused to pay for a hot dog during a drunken tussle with a street vendor.

William Michael Olson, 36, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of public intoxication and theft of services, Athens-Clarke police said.

Yup, he was caught red, er, shirted:

A vendor told the officer that Olson ate a hot dog and walked away without paying, but before he left the prosecutor put his hands on the vendor’s chest two times, according to police.

When the officer caught up with Olson, the prosecutor said he didn’t know anything about a hot dog, though he had ketchup and mustard on his shirt, police said.

If it had ended at that, it would have been mildly amusing. Here's where the real funny business comes in:

The officer told Olson he would arrest him if he didn’t pay for the hot dog, at which time the prosecutor pulled out his wallet and flashed his assistant district attorney badge and cautioned the officer, police said.

He 'told me I needed to be careful' and asked if 'I was sure that I wanted to do this,' the officer wrote in a report.

There's a theory that what somebody does and says while they're drunk is a pretty good indication of how they really are (see Gibson, Mel). If that's true, Olson's attempt to get out of trouble by using his office is an indication of a pretty serious character flaw.

Of course, maybe the cop is embellishing things in his report. It wouldn't be the first time. In which case, this sort of public humiliation is probably all the punishment Olson needs.