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Youthful offender, or felon?
Jorge
Member Posts: 10,656 ✭✭
Teen gets branded a felon for life for robbing man of 7 cents
.By Zachary Roth
Senior National Affairs Reporter
By Zachary Roth | The Lookout
A 15-year-old from Syracuse, Anthony Stewart, was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in a juvenile detention facility by Judge William Walsh of Onandaga County for a robbery in which the teenager took a mere 7 cents.
Walsh said he issued the harsh sentence because Stewart declined to plead guilty, choosing to fight the charges. A jury found him guilty of first degree robbery.
The victim had identified Stewart and a friend as the perpetrators, Walsh said, "and yet you still denied it," the Post-Standard newspaper of Syracuse reported.
"Well, that cost you," Walsh added.
The other teenager, Skyler Ninham, 16, pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to 1 to 4 years in prison.
Stewart and Ninham carried BB guns that looked like real pistols when they knocked a 73-year old man to the ground--Stewart punching him in the face--and took all the cash he had on him, prosecutors said. That amounted to 7 cents.
Stewart's lawyer, Laurin Haddad, had pleaded with Walsh to treat her client as a youthful offender, so that a felony conviction wouldn't remain on his permanent record.
"For 7 cents, now you're making someone a felon for the rest of his life," Haddad told the Post-Standard.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/teen-gets-branded-felon-life-robbing-man-7-200811947.html
What is it they say?: "If you can't do the time ..."
[:(!]
.By Zachary Roth
Senior National Affairs Reporter
By Zachary Roth | The Lookout
A 15-year-old from Syracuse, Anthony Stewart, was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in a juvenile detention facility by Judge William Walsh of Onandaga County for a robbery in which the teenager took a mere 7 cents.
Walsh said he issued the harsh sentence because Stewart declined to plead guilty, choosing to fight the charges. A jury found him guilty of first degree robbery.
The victim had identified Stewart and a friend as the perpetrators, Walsh said, "and yet you still denied it," the Post-Standard newspaper of Syracuse reported.
"Well, that cost you," Walsh added.
The other teenager, Skyler Ninham, 16, pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to 1 to 4 years in prison.
Stewart and Ninham carried BB guns that looked like real pistols when they knocked a 73-year old man to the ground--Stewart punching him in the face--and took all the cash he had on him, prosecutors said. That amounted to 7 cents.
Stewart's lawyer, Laurin Haddad, had pleaded with Walsh to treat her client as a youthful offender, so that a felony conviction wouldn't remain on his permanent record.
"For 7 cents, now you're making someone a felon for the rest of his life," Haddad told the Post-Standard.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/teen-gets-branded-felon-life-robbing-man-7-200811947.html
What is it they say?: "If you can't do the time ..."
[:(!]
Comments
The punishment should fit the crime. Not how much you benefited from the crime or how much you pissed off the judge.
quote:What is it they say?: "If you can't do the time ..."
Judge Turk in Danville sentenced a young man to twenty-one years. The young man said "But Judge Turk, I can't do twenty-one years". Judge Turk said "That's perfectly all right, son. You just do as much of it as you can".
The fact that the "reward" from the robbery wasn't near what the robber more than likely expected shouldn't be considered any form of mitigating circumstance.
Violent felon. If it were $700 instead of seven cents no one would even be questioning this. The young man committed armed robbery and if his victim had died of a heart attack or from hitting his head on the ground the SOB would be a murderer.
The fact that the "reward" from the robbery wasn't near what the robber more than likely expected shouldn't be considered any form of mitigating circumstance.
+1
Unfortunately, he'll now be violent his entire life.
We're screwed either way.
WHERE ARE HIS PARENTS?????? [V]
The amount has nothing to do with it. See ya later junior.
The amount of the theft is irrelevant. The judge believed this young man is dangerous and acted accordingly.
I don't know which is worse - the press figuring people are stupid enough to fall for the headline or that they're right and people do fall for the headline.
Truely sad.
In any case, three cheers for the judge! Makes me regain faith in the justice system...a little bit.
I think you give the judge too much credit. He told the kid he was getting that much time because he refused to plead guilty.
If he had sentenced the kid for what the kid did instead of for causing the judge an inconvenience, I would grudgingly give the judge a little credit. As it is the judge is just another egocentric demityrant showing us how powerful he is and why we must defer to his desires.
These two teens will now be felons for the rest of their life and rightfully so. Impossible to correct their life/actions now into productive citizens.
Truely sad.
Wal-Mart always needs people to push shopping carts in from the parking lot....
But hopefully prison will give him another chance. Yes. I'm an optimist.
quote:Originally posted by Navybat
In any case, three cheers for the judge! Makes me regain faith in the justice system...a little bit.
I think you give the judge too much credit. He told the kid he was getting that much time because he refused to plead guilty.
If he had sentenced the kid for what the kid did instead of for causing the judge an inconvenience, I would grudgingly give the judge a little credit. As it is the judge is just another egocentric demityrant showing us how powerful he is and why we must defer to his desires.
James, that's a little harsh, don't you think? The result is a good thing. Why claim the judge is egocentric? A demityrant? He's admitting to punishing the kid harshly for the KID'S egocentrism, and the fact he LIED--not that it was "inconvenient". My point is the kid is becoming a felon for being violent.
Why so harsh on the judge? If the judge had said he sentenced the kid harshly because he was stupid and only got 7 cents, I would have STILL thought the judge did a good thing.
James, that's a little harsh, don't you think? The result is a good thing. Why claim the judge is egocentric? A demityrant? He's admitting to punishing the kid harshly for the KID'S egocentrism, and the fact he LIED--not that it was "inconvenient". My point is the kid is becoming a felon for being violent.
Why so harsh on the judge? If the judge had said he sentenced the kid harshly because he was stupid and only got 7 cents, I would have STILL thought the judge did a good thing.
I'll agree with you that the judge did half of a good thing. His partner in crime plead guilty and got one to four years.
When anybody does the right thing for the wrong reason I'm glad they did the right thing, but I don't give them credit for pure motivation.
Both of them should spend their young adulthood in prison and the rest of their lives on parole.
quote:Originally posted by Navybat
James, that's a little harsh, don't you think? The result is a good thing. Why claim the judge is egocentric? A demityrant? He's admitting to punishing the kid harshly for the KID'S egocentrism, and the fact he LIED--not that it was "inconvenient". My point is the kid is becoming a felon for being violent.
Why so harsh on the judge? If the judge had said he sentenced the kid harshly because he was stupid and only got 7 cents, I would have STILL thought the judge did a good thing.
I'll agree with you that the judge did half of a good thing. His partner in crime plead guilty and got one to four years.
When anybody does the right thing for the wrong reason I'm glad they did the right thing, but I don't give them credit for pure motivation.
Both of them should spend their young adulthood in prison and the rest of their lives on parole.
Ok, I understand what you're saying. I'm cheering the judge for doing the right thing...his RATIONALE is unimportant in this case to me.
I'm just happy that in my opinion justice was served. MUCH better than those bleeding heart judges who let the "poor orphan/abused/mistreated/underprivileged child" go because he's had such a tough life...etc. etc.
He is a felon for committing a violent robbery, what does the 7 cents have to do with it?
+1. Robbery is about using force or the threat of using force to take something from someone. How much or how little that something is doesn't really matter.
No, lady. Your little dirtbag client made himself a felon. [:(!]
He committed an armed robbery and used violence in addition to that. He should have gotten twenty to life. The amount should not enter into it. Neither should his plea in court.
The punishment should fit the crime. Not how much you benefited from the crime or how much you pissed off the judge.
quote:What is it they say?: "If you can't do the time ..."
Judge Turk in Danville sentenced a young man to twenty-one years. The young man said "But Judge Turk, I can't do twenty-one years". Judge Turk said "That's perfectly all right, son. You just do as much of it as you can".
spot on analysis James, as always. I appreciate your posts.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
[:(!]
Would you like to go to prison because your son committed a felony?
He is a felon for committing a violent robbery, what does the 7 cents have to do with it?
exactly
Would you like to go to prison because your son committed a felony?
My folks wouldn't have had to worry, my dad would never had let me survive long enough for trial [^]
"For 7 cents, now you're making someone a felon for the rest of his life," Haddad told the Post-Standard."
No, lady. Your little dirtbag client made himself a felon. [:(!]
+1
He is a felon for committing a violent robbery, what does the 7 cents have to do with it?
AMEN
Are parents no longer responsible for their children?
[:(!]
These "young adults" are not exactly the child types and have parameters beyond five and ten year olds. Why not ask the same question about the parents' parents for not being more responsible adults, Jorge?
Are parents no longer responsible for their children?
[:(!]
I was responsible for all of mine.....................at least I think I was. Don
He's a felon.
"If we plead not guilty, at your age you'll just get a slap on the wrist".
That's why she's so bent out of shape, IMNSHO.
[:(!]barto[:(!]
assaulted at gunpoint(the fact that it was a bb gun is irrelevant)
robbed
battery
irrelevant details:
age of the perpetrator
age of the victim
amount of money garnered from the act.
simple as that. they knowing committed armed robbery and beat the victim to boot. there is no question in my mid that this kid should have been tried as an adult, been convicted, and sentenced to a real live adult sentence for his crime.
some may disagree with me that the age of the victim is irrelevant. is stand by that opinion for the simple fact that i dont believe that ANYONE should be able to physically assault ANYBODY. on this issue, im age, gender, race, creed, and sexual orientation blind. i dont think a man hitting a woman is any more of a crime than a woman hitting a man; nor is a child striking an adult more serious than the reverse(corporal punishment aside).