Judge adds ten years to man's sentence for courtroom outburst
Twenty-two-year-old Austin Later had just been sentenced to five years in prison for an aggravated battery charge when the judge asked him if he had any questions. Besides threatening the prosecutor, Later also threw a file, hitting the judge's clerk in the face. After the outburst, Judge Jon Shindurling added another ten years to Later's sentence. He'll now serve 15 years, and could be charged for his actions and words.
Wow. The judge effectively trippled this man's sentence for his little outburst. On the one hand, this seems a little like a case of the judge being a power mad tyrant. On the other, though, keep in mind that the man was convicted of kidnapping in connection with a drug deal, so it was likely in the judge's discretion to sentence the man to 1, 2, or even 15 years in prison.
My guess is that the convict pleaded for a light sentence on the grounds that he wasn't dangerous, that he just made a mistake, that he was on drugs at the time, etc. If the judge based his decision on statements to that effect, then the man's outburst easily proved that the judge was wrong to have relied on them. Viewed in that light, I can't say that the judge was being "power-hungry" or vindictive at all. If the man cant control his temper in a courtroom, how can he be expected to control it out in public?
It pays to be respectful in courtroom. I'm still continually amazed that many criminal defendants don't even bother to dress up for court. Are their lawyers completely retarded?
Posted by jkhat at March 5, 2005 03:10 PM
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| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
Do you have any fun examples of stupid defendants from time you've been in the courtroom? |
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
not really. i dont go to court much. but trust me, no one dresses up. defendants, witnesses, et al all show up wearing t-shirts, tennis shoes, and jeans. sometimes people make an effort to dress up by wearing a "nice shirt" that has long sleeves, and sometimes even buttons. ive had to go to court to "observe" in the past and ive gone way out of my way to come home and put on a suit. seriously, i cant even imagine walking into a courtroom as an observer without at least a tie - why in the world would a defendant think that it's a good idea? |
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
Yeah, I don't get that. If you're a defendant you've got to look as nice as possible. If you're a witness or even a juror, why wouldn't you at least want to look "nice"? I mean, I don't want to return to the days where everyone wore suits everywhere, but there's a time and a place for tracksuits, and the courtroom isn't it. When did people forget what it means to be appropriate? Madison is an interesting place to observe the way people dress now. I went to the Opera at the new Overture Center here a few months ago and it was shocking to see how some people were dressed. Lots of people were dressed to the nines, but there were some people wearing jeans, hats and sweatshirts. I don't get that. |
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
Ten years for contempt of court? That judge is psychotic … |
| # March 7th, 2005 6:48 PM Converted_Comment | |
Daniel, Did you even read what James wrote? His theory is that this guy didn't get 10 years for contempt of court, but rather that his actions were taken into consideration in his sentencing. Two very different things. |
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