Arraignment set for Cheney, Gonzales in Texas

[cali]

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

44 mins ago AP – U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, left, and Vice President Dick Cheney are shown in this 2006 file … RAYMONDVILLE, Texas – A Texas judge has set a Friday arraignment for Vice President Dick Cheney, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others named in indictments accusing them of responsibility for prisoner abuse in a federal detention center.

Cheney, Gonzales and the others will not be arrested, and do not need to appear in person at the arraignment, Presiding Judge Manuel Banales said.

In the latest bizarre development in the case, the lame-duck prosecutor who won the indictments was a no-show in court Wednesday. The judge ordered Texas Rangers to go to Willacy County District Attorney Juan Guerra's house, check on his well-being and order him to court on Friday.

Half of the eight high-profile indictments returned Monday by a Willacy County grand jury are tied to privately run federal detention centers in the sparsely populated South Texas county. The other half target judges and special prosecutors who played a role in an earlier investigation of Guerra.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081120/ap_on_re_us/cheney_indicted_10

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Will anything come of this?

[cali]

3. probably not, but then I didn't think the judge would go this far

[midnight]

2. They are charged with this, and they will not be arrested?

"One indictment charges Cheney and Gonzales with engaging in organized criminal activity. It alleges that the men neglected federal prisoners and are responsible for assaults"