Schaumburg man an improper 'propria persona'?

Outside of TV shows whose main purpose is to make a point dramatically rather than depict reality, ordinary citizens representing themselves in court isn't something you see very often.

Even less so when the ordinary citizen is a man who's become world-famous for living in his driveway after being locked out of his house during foreclosure proceedings.

But Schaumburg's John Wuerffel - despite being found guilty last week of not maintaining his house in a cleanly fashion - proved himself a man who knew his way around a courtroom and legal terminology.

After his case was interrupted by a fire alarm at the Rolling Meadows court house, a Cook County Sheriff's officer first began letting employees of the building back in through a door she held open.

When Wuerffel tried his luck entering there, the officer took one look at the bearded, long-haired, baseball-capped figure approaching her and said, "Lawyers only!"

"Pro se!" Wuerffel replied with a wicked grin, invoking the Latin phrase for one who represents himself in a court of law.

During his testimony, Wuerffel claimed to have an IQ of 149, to have been a member of Mensa and to have previously worked for a law office - though not as an attorney.