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| (Left, Patrick Kane Booking Photo. Right, Cab Driver Jan Radecki wivb.com) |
Posted: Thursday, 13 August 2009 1:50PM
NY Grand Jury Hears Kane Case
Steve Miller Reporting
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CHICAGO (WBBM/AP) -- A grand jury in Erie County, New York, is meeting today to look into the case against Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane and his cousin.
The grand jury is meeting and will hear from the cab driver involved in the dispute over the weekend with Patrick Kane and his cousin.
But Patrick Kane is not there.
And neither is his lawyer Paul Cambria, “We don't participate in the grand jury because it's a one-sided process. It permits the district attorney to question our witnesses but it doesn't permit us to question his witnesses so I see no point in it because it's just so one-sided."
The grand jury could decide to return an indictment or drop charges.
Cambria tells Newsradio 780 he's sent a letter to the district attorney, asking that the cab driver's record be brought out. Cambria says certain factors in that record "diminish the credibility of the cab driver."
Andrew LoTempio, an attorney for the cab driver, told WGN radio in Chicago on Monday that he thinks Sunday's incident was blown out of proportion.
"There was a dispute over the fee and it just kind of escalated from there," LoTempio told the station. "It was not really a robbery. That is probably a large distortion of what happened."
Asked if the case would end up as a felony, he said: "Absolutely not."
"I think we should be able to work things out," he added.
Police say the cab driver was beaten because he did not have 20 cents in change to give Kane, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft and the NHL rookie of the year the following year. The 62-year-old cab driver, identified as Jan Radecki, said he was punched, grabbed by the throat and had his glasses broken.
His attorney said it is customary for some Buffalo cab drivers to lock the doors of their vehicles with the passengers inside - if they think they might be stiffed on their fare.
"Early Sunday morning, Pat Kane was involved in an unfortunate situation with a cab driver in Buffalo," Kane's agent, Pat Brisson, said. "The cab driver's attorney in recent media reports was quoted as saying that the incident has been blown out of proportion. Kane has retained Paul Cambria as his attorney in this matter. Cambria has told me that, based on the evidence that he has reviewed in this case, there is no doubt that Mr. Kane will be fully exonerated.
"Since this is an ongoing legal matter, I think it is inappropriate for me to comment further at this time. But I am absolutely confident that, when the legal process has been completed, Pat Kane will be fully cleared."
The cab driver's attorney did not return a call seeking additional comment. A message left with Kane's mother was not returned.
Whatever happens, it's not the kind of publicity the Blackhawks have been seeking the past two years with the 20-year-old Kane and 21-year-old captain Jonathan Toews as the public face for a young team looking for the franchise's first Stanley Cup since 1961.
Under team president and former Chicago Cubs marketing guru John McDonough and owner Rocky Wirtz, the Blackhawks' transformation over the last two seasons has extended off the ice, including the televising of all home games and welcoming back legends like Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. After playing in front of thousands of empty seats two years ago, the team drew more than 1 million fans this past season.
But after losing to the Red Wings in five games in the conference finals three months ago, the offseason has been uproarious. And Kane's arrest has been the most stunning episode of all.
Kane had 25 goals and 45 assists last season and had a hat trick in the victory that clinched the second-round playoff series against Vancouver. As a rookie, he had 21 goals and 51 assists.
The offseason's first hiccup occurred when the team was late in getting out qualifying offers to restricted free agents, and the players' union filed a grievance. All the restricted free agents eventually re-signed, but a short time later Tallon was demoted to adviser and replaced by Stan Bowman, the son of the legendary coach Scotty Bowman.
The Blackhawks's biggest offseason acquisition was landing Hossa with a whopping 12-year, $62.8 million contract.
A couple of days later, in the aftermath of the Tallon demotion, McDonough was booed at the team's fan convention.
Havlat, who led the team in scoring last year but was not re-signed and went to the Minnesota Wild, criticized McDonough, saying he had been out to get Tallon because he wanted all the credit for the Hawks' turnaround.
And after it was revealed that Hossa had a shoulder injury, one that eventually required surgery and will force him to miss the beginning of the season, the NHL acknowledged it was investigating whether his long contract violated the league's salary cap.
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Contents of this site are Copyright 2009 by WBBM. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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