Judge Gets Emotional When Sharing A Story About His Father
If you’re fascinated with what happens in court, you’ll love “Caught in Providence”.
You’ve probably heard of this show before. Filmed in Providence Municipal Court, it features real cases and real people who have ended up in the courtroom for one reason or another.
The star of the show is Judge Frank Caprio, Chief Municipal Judge in Providence.
Judge Caprio has been working his way through court cases since 1985, and has been reappointed six times for the job.
While the show’s bio says that the people features on the show “have a little fun with the cameras”, everything you see is real life.
Sometimes, for instance, things can get a little emotional.
In this particular court case, Judge Caprio gets teary-eyed when he shares a story about his father.
The case in question is a red light violation. The accoused is a young woman who has bought her mom to court for moral support. In her mom’s words: “I’m here to keep her out of jail!”
Judge Caprio begins his questioning, asking the accused’s mom if they have discussed the red light violation.
The mom admits that her daughter can’t remember running the red light, and doesn’t even know where it happened.
Things get even more interesting when the daughter holds up her paper fine and says:
“The plate number on here is not my car, so I’m a just little confused about that.”
It turns out that the car was registered to a dealership that the daughter had recently bought her car from, and someone at the dealership had given out her name when the fine was issued.
Judge Caprio says that he’d send the summons back to the car dealership, and would take no action today.
But things don’t end there, as the mom asks Judge Caprio if she can tell him a little story.
Apparently, the mom personally knew Judge Caprio’s dad – he used to deliver milk to her grandmother’s house.
The daughter adds that her grandmother once told them that if they ever went in front of Judge Caprio, they should tell him that his dad’s nickname was “Tup o’ Toffee”.
It’s only a small anecdote, but those of us who have lost loved ones know how special it is to hear that they’re remembered by other people for their positive impact in the community.
Judge Caprio tells the mom that she’s made his day – then he shares his own story.
He says:
“I want to explain something to you. My dad was an immigrant. He came from Italy. He came here and he was a fruit peddler. And subsequently, he got his big job in life, he became a milkman. His nickname, as your daughter indicated, was Tup o’ Toffee. That’s because when he was peddling fruit, one day his face was so frozen that he put an order in one day at a restaurant, and he says, ‘Give me a tup of toffee’.”
Judge Caprio’s dad had a heart of gold, as he would continue to deliver milk to non-paying families with children, and he would take money out of his pocket and tell his company that they’d made a partial payment.
It’s a lovely story, and a reminder of the positive influence that we can all have on those around us.
You can watch the full video of the case, and Judge Caprio’s emotional story, below.
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