Probation for armed robber -- a reason why violent crime is enabled?

[SteveM]

This from the Austin American Statesman, July 11, 2009:

"A man who told a jury he didn't want probation in an aggravated robbery case got it anyway, said Travis County District Judge Bob Perkins. John Crayton, 26, was convicted of six counts of aggravated robbery Thursday for robbing a group of university students at GUNPOINT (my emphasis) at their apartment on East Oltorf Street in October."

The armed robber received 10 yrs probation for each count, with sentences running CONCURRENTLY. Further, he will be eligible for parole in less than 6 months due to "good conduct time." But wait! They can't start the clock running yet:

"Crayton faces a charge of sexual assault in a separate case to be tried in court next week."



www.statesman.com/crimetracker

[sasquatch]

1. Is he related to a cop or politician?

[JonQ]

2. I wouldn't mind seeing crimes commited with a firearm

or other deadly weapon receive an automatic 5 years (or more) on top of their initial sentence. And any deaths that result from armed criminal activity, even if unintentional, should be treated as at least 2nd degree murder (that may be the case already, I'm rusty on this).

[iverglas]

3. I'm gonna have to click that link

The armed robber received 10 yrs probation for each count, with sentences running CONCURRENTLY. Further, he will be eligible for parole in less than 6 months due to "good conduct time."

In what strange universe are people on probation paroled?

[iverglas]

4. just one little bit omitted there

A Travis County jury sentenced him Friday to 10 years of probation for each count of aggravated robbery and six years in prison for burglary of a habitation, Perkins said.

Huh. I wonder whether that might have been relevant.

Presumably he is being credited for pre-trial time in calculating parole.

Anybody here know anything at all about sentencing?

The "six counts" related to a single incident. Consecutive sentences are not imposed for separate counts arising out of a single incident, just for info.

[TheWraith]

5. Well don't you know we need to save prison space for pot smokers and drug addicts?

Gotta punish the poor and hopeless for being poor and hopeless, doncha know. :sarcasm:

[iverglas]

6. gosh, even FoxNews does a better job than you

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,531377,00.html

AUSTIN, Texas — A man convicted in an October robbery in Austin that netted him $3 faces up to 99 years in prison.

... A jury on Thursday convicted Crayton of six counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and one count of burglary of a habitation.

Investigators say Crayton hid in a closet before he tried to rob some University of Texas students at their apartment.

Prosecutors say Crayton, who told jurors had been drinking the day of the robbery, was shot in the abdomen by one of the victims.

Complete description of facts here:

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/07/10/0710crayton.html


And NBC has a completely different version of the outcome:

http://www.koaa.com/news/wacky/x528753210/Man-sentenced-99-years-for-a-3-dollar-robbery

Man sentenced 99 years for a 3 dollar robbery
Source: NBC
Updated Sat Jul 11, 2009, 08:13 AM MDT

A Texas man has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for a robbery that netted him $3. Twenty-six year-old John Crayton was convicted of six counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and one count of burglary.

I think that one got it wrong: that was the max he was facing.


In any event, what I'm seeing is somebody getting a six-year sentence for the offence, wtih 10 years' probation that he didn't want tacked on at the end.

Not quite how it seemed to the naked eye WITH THE ONE BIG RELEVANT FACT omitted, is it?

[iverglas]

7. I really do think an apology is in order

for the entirely misleading way in which this story was presented here.

Shall I hold my breath?

[iverglas]

8. lucky I wasn't holding my breath, eh?