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Several years ago, someone very close to me was charged with a despicable sex crime against two children. Everyone knew the charges were based upon the stories told by two mothers, best friends, and that the often-contradictory versions of events were both far from what was possible by just looking at the environment where the incident allegedly took place.

The accused took a polygraph and passed with flying colors, but the prosecution didn't care. They continued to ruthlessly add related charges, increasing the stakes and possible jail time in an attempt to get my friend to plea the case out. It was truly amazing how the truth was not an issue, but rather the strength of the case. The prosecution never visited the scene to assess the truthfulness of the accusers or the veracity of their sworn affidavits. The investigating detective lied to my friend to try to trick him into an incriminating statement then lied to the judge in a preliminary hearing. He was clearly conspiring with the prosecution to railroad an innocent victim.

It was obvious they never expected my friend to last long enough to go to trial. Faced with the overwhelming pressure to plea, the added charges, and the astronomical expenses of a lawyer, a private detective and going to trial, they were very nearly right. But balanced against a possible 40 years in jail, a lifetime as a registered sex offender, and innocence, my friend made the right choice to go to trial.

The trial was a farce. The judge would not allow any witnesses to see the testimony of any other witnesses, which was the prosecution's first problem. Their second problem was that my friend's lawyer was like Perry Mason and Ben Matlock combined. He led the accusing mothers down logic trails that easily revealed their lies. They contradicted each other, contradicted their own affidavits, and along with every prosecution witness, made fools of themselves. The judge even threw out the additional trumped up charges because the witnesses clearly said the charged offenses did not happen. It was a prosecution train wreck from start to finish.

In the end, my friend was found not guilty of all charges, and many of the jury members actually apologized to him for what he had to go through. What was most revealing in the process was what I heard one of the prosecuting lawyers say. There were two prosecuting attorneys, one male and one female. The male actually cross-examined my friend, and like the investigating detective had

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