Ulsterman in Texas

I'm sure you may have seen media reports of the Fort Worth judge gave probation to a 16 year old drunk driver due to his up bringing where his parents did not give him any boundaries. Now I think it's fair to say I would be one of the most politically conservative posters on this board, however this sentencing just sounds off to me. How many defendants has this judge tried where the defendant went to jail even though they had no positive influences growing up because of addiction and so on? hundreds? thousands? what it the difference between them and this boy named Ethan Couch? Apart from hundreds of thousands of dollars nothing!

I am a strong proponent of the rule of law, I believe the law should be upheld and applied and enforced equally and without fear or favor, so to me this sentence stinks to high heaven as I don't believe the law was applied equally, also one would have thought that if someone doesn't have boundaries, that the best thing the law could do is put the in a place where they will need boundaries due to affulenzza , and jail seems exactly that kind of place.

Michael

He was also sentenced to a $450K per year mountain rehabilitation center that includes gourmet meals, a swimming pool, a recreation room as well as guides for hiking and yoga instructors for killing 4 people and injuring 9. Doesn't everyone get that treatment?

Trixie_b

It sounds like the parents spread some of that money around and paid for incredible lawyers.

He should have served time. I can't stop thinking about the families of those hurt and how unjust this verdict was.

A friend of mine used her affluence to get her son off on a potential sex offense..... he drunkenly took a pee near a school at 2am.

Yes, that's a sex offense it seems, but without her money to fight the charge, his appointed lawyer would have just rolled with the charges.

Not the same scenario, but just proving how the affluent don't have the same legal system as the poor.

SpoogleDrummer

It's crazy, but I know of several people around here that have killed people with their cars, been totally at fault and not gone to jail or even lost their licenses and they had absolutely no money so it's not just the wealthy that get away with it. It absolutely terrifies me to think of my kids driving around with people like that around, luckily my oldest is only 5 so there's a small chance they'll actually do something about drunk drivers etc by the time they're old enough to drive.

Sally Redux

It certainly seems a bizarre defence.

Ulsterman in Texas

All paid for by daddy, but that was the problem in the first place, he was probably taught that you can just throw some money at the problem and it all goes away.

Sally Redux

The jails are full of drug offenders, but not rich ones.

So Daddy's right.

Bob

This is just going to show he can get away with anything....him and the Florida chappy must get together and see what else they could get away with....

Bink

No kidding. Not as strange as the Judge's decision.
The guy that put my BIL in a wheelchair is serving 12 years. This kid kills 4 and walks away. Sickening.

sir_eccles

I read that there are five civil suits pending. It won't show him that his actions have real consequences but may go a small way towards curing his affluenza.

Bob

Probably not his, but his fathers perhaps...

scrubbedexpat099

If this had been LA would anyone be surprised?

I am not sure if I have seen something more telling of the world we actually live in versus the concoction that is often portrayed.

Ulsterman in Texas

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/242182...of-power-tools I just found this story to contrast the case being discussed, a woman in Parker County, which is next to Tarrent County, which is where Fort Worth is got sentenced for 70 years for stealing Christmas lights and power tools.

Michael

In California, outrage would likely be due to lenient sentencing of the poor but conservative states seem to be more extremely lenient on the socially acceptable.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Activists are pushing for the removal of a Montana judge who said a 14-year-old rape victim was "older than her chronological age," as the former teacher who raped her is set to be released this week after serving 30 days in prison.

But the rich or well connected from all states will likely be treated more leniently than the poor.

scrubbedexpat099

It has ever been thus.

Perhaps the difference is that it is more obvious now.