Officer David Hunter, retired from the Knox County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Department, told us this story of what might be the shortest trial in the history of jurisprudence:
At his criminal arraignment, the defendant stood before the judge.
“You are charged with the theft of an automobile,” the judge said. “How do you plead?”
He expected to hear a simple “guilty” or “not guilty.” Instead, the defendant tried to explain his whole defense as succinctly as possible.
“Before we go any further, judge,” the accused man blurted out, “let me explain why I stole the car.”
The judge’s decision was made in record time!