What the Judge Ate for Breakfast

Everyone came to court expecting Gary Washburn to plead guilty for fleecing two 80-something women out of nearly $100,000. But Washburn’s rant ended up confusing just about everyone, especially the lawyers. Judges don’t take guilty pleas lightly, so Joe Kisner kept probing. Washburn said he wanted to accept the plea deal from the state, but his rambling said otherwise. Kisner looked to a decades-old U.S. Supreme Court decision known as “Alford” for guidance. Washburn’s attempts to plead guilty are difficult to describe. Better to just watch.