Spring Break
Misjudgement
Nick Lilja
Issue date: 7/23/08 Section: Sports
Recently, it seems like student-athletes get off a little easier, too. Remember Jeremy Stevens? How about Peter Warrick?
Stevens was charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run and was sentenced to 240 hours of community service. Then he was even pulled over for DUI while on probation and only got five days in jail. Warrick went to a department store and received heavily discounted merchandise to the tune of a charge of grand theft, to which his response was, "It's not like I killed the president."
The two Oregon State players weren't that dumb. Then again, they were shooting cans off of a fence in a neighborhood. But the two will be in jail for only a few days at a time and seemingly get to serve jail time at their leisure.
Wallace and Maxwell were ordered to report to the Benton County Jail on July 16 and stay through July 21 when they were released for four days before resuming their sentences.
The request to break up the sentence was granted due to scheduling conflicts that the judge deemed appropriate.
I doubt that anyone in the general population of the United States has that freedom. I bet Venus Chand wishes he did. Same with Zachary Harris. Both were convicted of similar charges and spent consecutive months in jail.
Unlawful use of a weapon is defined by Oregon State statutes as one who "intentionally discharges a firearm, within the city limits of any city or within residential areas within urban growth boundaries at or in the direction of any person, building, structure or vehicle within the range of the weapon without having legal authority for such discharge."
It comes complete with up to a five year prison sentence. And if your name is John Wallace or Anton Maxwell and you play for back-to-back national championship baseball teams, the sentence is lowered to 15 days.
It's ridiculous that these two can plea bargain out of being convicted, to a respectable extent of the law, for the crime they committed. This isn't about whether or not these young men were willing to work with police, were cooperative or even wanted to take responsibility. The real issue here is they endangered the lives of others and should be penalized for their actions - intention or not.
Any person wielding a weapon, in this case a gun, inside city limits and discharging it inside city limits should be punished to the same degree of the crime they committed.
Letting the young men serve that punishment - in essence when they aren't busy - is absurd. When teaching someone a lesson, that lesson can't be administered when it is convenient or else the message is lost.
Judge, I know you are a good judge, you just made an error in judgement.
Stevens was charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run and was sentenced to 240 hours of community service. Then he was even pulled over for DUI while on probation and only got five days in jail. Warrick went to a department store and received heavily discounted merchandise to the tune of a charge of grand theft, to which his response was, "It's not like I killed the president."
The two Oregon State players weren't that dumb. Then again, they were shooting cans off of a fence in a neighborhood. But the two will be in jail for only a few days at a time and seemingly get to serve jail time at their leisure.
Wallace and Maxwell were ordered to report to the Benton County Jail on July 16 and stay through July 21 when they were released for four days before resuming their sentences.
The request to break up the sentence was granted due to scheduling conflicts that the judge deemed appropriate.
I doubt that anyone in the general population of the United States has that freedom. I bet Venus Chand wishes he did. Same with Zachary Harris. Both were convicted of similar charges and spent consecutive months in jail.
Unlawful use of a weapon is defined by Oregon State statutes as one who "intentionally discharges a firearm, within the city limits of any city or within residential areas within urban growth boundaries at or in the direction of any person, building, structure or vehicle within the range of the weapon without having legal authority for such discharge."
It comes complete with up to a five year prison sentence. And if your name is John Wallace or Anton Maxwell and you play for back-to-back national championship baseball teams, the sentence is lowered to 15 days.
It's ridiculous that these two can plea bargain out of being convicted, to a respectable extent of the law, for the crime they committed. This isn't about whether or not these young men were willing to work with police, were cooperative or even wanted to take responsibility. The real issue here is they endangered the lives of others and should be penalized for their actions - intention or not.
Any person wielding a weapon, in this case a gun, inside city limits and discharging it inside city limits should be punished to the same degree of the crime they committed.
Letting the young men serve that punishment - in essence when they aren't busy - is absurd. When teaching someone a lesson, that lesson can't be administered when it is convenient or else the message is lost.
Judge, I know you are a good judge, you just made an error in judgement.
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