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2.21.2007
Update On Race Relations
Well, the trial in Decatur that I referenced yesterday has ended up with a guilty verdict after less than 30 minutes of deliberations. (The verdict came down around 3:00 p.m.)
From what I can tell, the case involved the defendant striking the victim in the head with a baseball bat during a wedding type of event at Runaway Bay. I have no idea what prompted the altercation although I know the jury was instructed on the law of self defense (that didn't work.) I saw the victim in the courthouse today and he had a nasty scar on his head.
The "punishment phase" is now underway. The jury could go as low as probation or as high as 20 years in prison. The defendant has no criminal history, spent 10 months in jail awaiting trial, and has been evaluated in Vernon at the request of his mother.
Edit: We have a punishment verdict as of 5:20 p.m. The jury granted the defendant probation (he'll be on it for 7 years) and assessed a $5,000 fine. It was a fair and just verdict. A probation violation can (and would) lead to seven years of incarceration. Lead defense counsel was Earl Dobson out of Denton.
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14 comments:
You Johnny Cockroach wannabe. Barry, Just what the hell does this have to do with race relations just because the guy was "Afro American"? Like I said before. Only liberals claim to be colored blind.
Sooooooooooooo, is that because conservatives make no such pretense???????
Yep
I'm betting he gets 20 years.
let us know the sentence
Why am I not surprised... Oh well have him file a appeal. Damn inbred hicks
Ahhh....an evaluation in Vernon. If you're not crazy when you go there, you will be when you leave.
Keep up the criminal stories, those are my favorites....although give us details, so we can debate. I enjoy the interesting and imbecilic remarks.
So....Barry....how are these fines normally paid???
Does this guy have to write a check before he is released to probation or do they set up an automatic withdrawal from his bank acct or what???
Is he charged interest if he has to pay it out over time???
Enquiring minds want to know.
Good question.
In Wise County, all fines are pro-rated over the course of the probation. No interest is charged. As far as I know, there is no "automatic withdrawal" program available.
Failure to pay can lead to the revocation of the probation. However, under the law the defendant cannot be revoked if HE CAN PROVE that he has the "inability" to pay.
Let's see, the $5,000 fine over 7 years...that's about $60 a week. Pretty stiff fine, huh? The guy batted some other guy over the head with a baseball bat doing some significant damage and he has to pay the County some $60 a week? What about the victim? Who pays his medical bills and loss of work?
Dear Anonymous 4:46 p.m. You are not too good with the math. Your calculations are not even close to what Scott will pay over the next 7 years. I am very sorry for the victim and his injuries but please keep in mind, he came to the reception with 2 buddies. No one actually went after him. Who in this scenerio was looking for trouble? I am very ashamed and amazed at the racism that has been expressed in this blog and Barry's first blog.
Anon 943: I believe Scottie was probably looking for trouble when he had removed himself from the "fight" situation and walked over 100 feet to his car to get the bat. Then walked 100 feet back and swung the bat at the victim who was sitting in a vehicle ready to leave. The window was partially down (about half way) meaning that the bat had to be aimed into the window to strike the victim. To me Scottie had plenty of time to think of what he was doing and still came back for trouble.
4:46 if I'm correct, the fine of $5,000 over 7 years amounts to some $13.74 a week. It seems to me this fine would cost more to process than it's worth. Was the fine to cover some court expense or just intended to be a nuisance?
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