http://www.gibddnso.ru/video/2009/05/04/
The proliferation of the emoticon has been one of the more dire consequences
of the rise of the Internet and cell phone text messaging over the past two
decades — a blight on written communication.
There is, after all, only so much sentiment an emoticon can convey. How much
happier is a person who types :)))))))) than a person who texts a mere :) to a
friend?
Indeed, we may never know the degree of sorrow felt by a young Novosibirsk woman
over the traffic cop she struck and killed with her car while driving drunk. But
a senior traffic safety official said the "cynicism" of the suspect is
exemplified by the text message — complete with emoticon — she sent her
boyfriend after killing the officer:
"Honey, I killed a cop. I'm sorry :( What should I do?"
This depressing tale began on the evening of April 30, when,
police say, the 22-year-old
woman had a drinking bout with a girlfriend. The young women downed six liters
of beer between them before deciding to go for a joyride on the streets of
Novosibirsk.
At around 11:00 p.m. that evening, local traffic police officer Dmitry Chulkov,
36, had pulled over two cars for moving violations on Ulitsa Ippodromskaya in
the Siberian city. He was walking toward one of the cars to issue a fine when he
was struck and killed by a Toyota driven by the suspect, whose name has not been
released but whose photograph was posted on the regional traffic police's web
site.
Witnesses said the suspect drove a bit further before pulling over, though she
never exited her car. As it turns out, she was sending the text message to her
boyfriend, who advised her to create a "scandal and don't say or sign anything."
Top regional traffic cop Sergei Shtelmakh was incensed at the suspect's behavior,
saying that she appeared more concerned about her damaged car than the police
officer's death. The text message also angered Shtelmakh.
"More than anything, I'm shocked at her reaction to what happened," Shtelmakh
said in a statement. "She spoke with such cynicism about the damage to her car
and how her boyfriend — whom she couldn't even call — was going to yell at her."
Novosibirsk's Central District Court on Monday placed the suspect under
arrest, ordering her remanded in custody for two months,
regional traffic police said.
If convicted of vehicular homicide, she faces up to three years in prison.
Below are some more pictures of the suspect from the regional traffic police web
site.
gibddnso.ru
The homicide suspect being taken into custody by
Novosibirsk police
gibddnso.ru
The suspect taking a breathalyzer test to measure
her blood-alcohol level after having hit and killed
a local traffic cop.
Source http://www.gibddnso.ru/video/2009/05/04/
Source Moscow Times