I need advice because I've been told today that I'm dim witted and naive and now I do feel dumb.  An instructor I know only as an occasional lunch companion at the community college where I teach had a road rage incident on the way to work recently.  Nobody was injured, but it made the newspaper in town, and he's going to court about it.  I know that before he was a college instructor he used to drive a taxi cab, so maybe he's guilty, I don't know.

What matters to me is that he's an old bachelor, like me, who will be going to court alone.  So today I went by his office, told him I saw the story in the newspaper, and asked if he'd like for me to go to court with him in support.  He said yes.

At lunch today I mentioned to another instructor we work with that I was going to court with him.  She got upset at  me, and said he shouldn't be getting any support from any of us at work.  Instead, she said, he ought to be fired.  Couldn't I plainly see that?

Well, I do think he might be guilty and that the court might be about to declare him guilty of a misdemeanor and make him pay a fine and serve probation.  The thing is that I think that much will probably be punishment and shame enough.  I've never had a road rage incident, but I got a speeding ticket on the way to church on a Sunday morning in 2007.  I was about to preach that Sunday's sermon that morning, too, so I was pretty ashamed of myself.  I appreciated the support I got from those I told about it after church, even though I was clearly speeding, even though I was wrong.  

So I make mistakes before traffic court, too.  If I made a mistake like his, I would like for somebody I knew to show up for me even if I was wrong--especially if I was wrong.  My coworker, though, she says I shouldn't go with him to court that day or support him at school.  He should be gone.

It looks like I've been a fool in her eyes.  Apparently, my point of view shows that I'm dumb.  The thing is, I really don't understand, and that's why I do feel stupid. I don't get what's so wrong with showing support to someone in a victimless matter, even if they're wrong.  Especially if they're wrong and a judge says so.  I'm kind of silly, wondering: why make them feel worse?

It's a small town, so what I do will get around.  What do you think I should do?