http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/15168018/detail.html <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Most people expect star athletes to receive VIP treatment in clubs and restaurants, but that courtesy isn't supposed to extend into the courtroom. However, Call 7 Investigator John Ferrugia found that one high-profile athlete -- not once but twice -- received special treatment in Denver traffic court because of his status as a sports figure. Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin was ticketed twice for driving more than 100 miles an hour, and the violations should likely have resulted in the loss of his driving privileges. But two times Associate City Attorney Russell Stone gave him a break. "It has come to my attention that Mr. Kenyon Martin is a member of the Nuggets, has done a tremendous amount of good things for this community, donates a lot of money to charities, donates a lot of time (and) things too. In lieu of that we're going to try to help him out and keep his driver's license on this," Stone said in a Sept. 29, 2006, court hearing. A recording of that hearing was obtained by Denver 7.Both the judge in the case and the head of Denver's traffic enforcement section said they believe there are probably other cases out there where the rich or famous received special consideration because of their standing in the community." I didn't necessarily say that it was an isolated case," said Vince DiCroce, director of the prosecution and code enforcement section at the Denver City Attorney's office. "You asked if I was aware of other cases and we discussed one, and there may be more." Stone had agreed to reopen Martin's case three months after he pleaded guilty to two traffic violations in June of 2006 that totaled nine points. Martin had been ticketed driving his Bentley 101 miles in a 30 mph zone in Cherry Creek just after midnight on Jan. 24, 2006 and had pled guilty to speeding and operating an unsafe vehicle. Stone had agreed to the unusual step of reopening the case after Martin's attorney Jonathan Rosen miscalculated the points against Martin's license in the guilty plea. The plea, along with an earlier speeding ticket in Arapahoe County, put Martin over the 12 points in a year -- a situation in which the state pulls a driver's privileges. Rosen didn't tell Denver County Judge Brian T. Campbell that Martin received a second high-speed ticket three weeks before Campbell agreed to reopen the case and allow Martin to plead to a lesser offense to save his license.On Sept. 7, 2006, Martin was ticketed for driving his Range Rover 103 miles an hour on southbound Interstate 25 -- a 55-mph zone -- at 2 a.m. On that ticket one assistant city attorney decided to add charges that would have totaled 20 points, assuring that Martin, if convicted, would not be able to drive for a year. But two weeks later, the ticket Martin received in his Range Rover was moved to Stone's courtroom. He allowed Martin to plead to an offense that carried few enough points that he again was able to keep his license.Campbell, who had since moved from traffic court, was upset when he found out about Martin's second 100-mph ticket from Ferrugia just last week." All I have to do is sit there and say that was one of the times somebody got the better of me," Campbell told Ferrugia, blaming Rosen and Stone for the situation. Once Campbell knew all the facts of the case, he clearly believed that Martin was treated differently than other defendants because of the lawyer's actions."The bottom line is that Kenyon Martin got a pretty sweet deal?" Ferrugia asked. "He got a very sweet deal. That's correct," Campbell answered. Westminster resident Dan Glennon received three tickets in a year for going just 20 miles over the speed limit. He lost his license. "It tells me that there's obviously some preferential treatment going on based on your status and that's kind of unfortunate," he said when told about Martin's "sweet deal." "I told them I needed (the license) to get to work and also for my job I needed it a lot of times for my job," Glennon said. "And what'd they say?" Ferrugia asked. "They didn't care," Glennon responded. Stone's supervisor disciplined him when he found out about the deals, saying there was at least an appearance of favorable treatment for the basketball star. "The way that the two cases were handled within my office wasn't up to the expectations and within the guidelines of my office and so I took corrective action," DiCroce said. Stone received a three-day unpaid suspension but he is appealing the punishment through the Career Service Authority. A decision on the appeal is expected in February. DiCroce said he is reviewing procedures but has not reviewed reopened cases or made any changes in the more than 10 months after Martin was given his deals. After hearing about the cases, Campbell met with the county court's presiding judge to discuss requiring people who have tickets that carry more than six points to appear in court in person “ Martin never did and handled the tickets through Rosen. Campbell also wants to make attorneys file written motions to reopen cases and will work to get the judge's computers to update tickets more quickly so judges can see all the tickets a driver has received. "There should be policy that says that we scrutinize these a little bit more closely because we obviously got bias," Campbell said of what the city attorney should do in reopened cases. Martin, through his attorney, and Rosen declined comment, as did Stone, saying talking to the media could hurt his career. "What has been told to me is that no one would interfere with my right to speak to the press, but if I did speak to the press it could go very badly for me," Stone said. DiCroce said he believes the intent was to warn Stone that he would look bad in the media if he talked. While Glennon is still working to get back his driving privileges, Martin continues his life the fast lane. "Based on what you know today, should Kenyon Martin have his license?" Ferrugia asked Campbell. "No," the judge answered. "Does it concern you that Kenyon Martin is driving?" Ferrugia asked. "I'm hugely concerned in that regard," Campbell said.</div>
