(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
KENOSHA, Wis. ─ Leonard Taylor was recently charged with domestic abuse crimes in Kenosha County. Today, his case was dismissed with the joint agreement of the defense and the state.
Defense attorney Michael Cicchini had filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the complaint itself, when read in its entirety, failed to allege any crime. Cicchini argued that, as far as the disorderly conduct charge, the complaint said that the accuser was waiting “until the defendant [Taylor] got home, and when he walked into the residence she struck him in the ribs with a metal softball bat.” This, Cicchini argued, is what “caused or provoked the disturbance” that day, and not anything the defendant did after being attacked.
As far as the battery charge, Cicchini made several arguments, including that the complaint itself failed to establish a “lack of consent,” and that it actually established that Taylor acted in self-defense. Cicchini wrote that when the complaining witness “attacked the defendant with a metal bat, pursued him when he tried to get away, and struck him with a closed fist, she had no reasonable expectation that he would simply take a beating. By definition, her conduct means that she consented.”
Cicchini also argued that the injuries allegedly suffered by the complaining witness – according to the complaint, a scratch to the ear and two scratches to the leg – were the result of Taylor acting in self-defense by trying to get control of the metal bat. The complaint itself “raised the ingredients of a defense – more specifically, self-defense,” Cicchini wrote.
According to court records, Judge Jodi Meier heard the defense motion in court today. After the defense argument, the prosecutor on the case, Ismael El-Hassan, concurred in the defense’s legal analysis and joined in Cicchini’s motion to dismiss the case against Taylor.
When reached for comment, Cicchini told KCE that his client is glad the case is dismissed. “Leonard has no ill will toward the complaining witness, and he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her, legal or otherwise. He’s just glad to put this case behind him and move on.”
Editor’s note: Kenosha County Eye covers hundreds of criminal cases that enter the criminal justice system every month, and it is not always practical to follow every case through to its final resolution. When possible, we make a concerted effort to publish follow-up stories in cases that are dismissed in their entirety or result in a not guilty verdict. If you are in a similar situation and believe a follow-up is warranted, you may contact Kenosha County Eye at any time.
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8 Responses
Nice hair
Thank you for posting an update.
Any comment from the District Attorneys Office as to why they even took this case this far?
This guy still looks like a piece of shit loser.
So, yeah, he has already been convicted of that.
seriously fugly
Leonard said “yo it’s cool dawg, I’ll be back sleeping at her government subsidized apartment tonight, cuz i ain’t got no muhfuckin job an shit”
No matter what he looks like, it’s still innocent until proven guilty. Do any of you remember this? That’s not a concept—that’s the law. It’s a breath of fresh air to see a news outlet write a story vindicating someone who was accused of committing a crime and turned out to be innocent. I don’t know about the rest of society, but I want ALL the news, not just one groups side of the story. Thanks Kevin.
This is a good one! Mr. Leonard Taylor gets ambushed by some crazy woman with a bat. I’ll be honest here, these young men (including my son) walk around looking like bums and crazy jerks. White trash.