Remember Elton Richard. He was the decorated marine a judge sent to prison for protecting his family against a twice convicted felon. At the time, there was an uproar, and thankfully the judge reconsidered and Elton Richard, a hero by most standards, was released.
Well, now this puts it all in perspective (subscription):
The doorbell was ringing frantically.
A man was looking through the windows.
The stranger wanted inside, and 13-year-old Seresa Lobardeux was home alone.
She grabbed a knife, ran to her mother’s bedroom and locked herself in a bathroom.
She called her mom on her cell phone. There was no answer. She called her aunt, who told her to call 911.
While on the phone with dispatcher Amy Maurino, she could hear the blinds to a window moving. Then she heard footsteps in the hallway. Maurino stayed on the phone with her, and within nine minutes, police arrived and wrestled the man to the ground.
Adolph Ware, who was arrested on residential burglary charges, was on probation. He had 10 prior burglary arrests.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Our court system is broken. When a man with 10 prior burglary arrests is free to roam the streets and terrorize a thirteen year old girl, there is something seriously wrong.
There is a happy middle to this story… the police arrived and arrested the scumbag. Now, let’s see if the rest of the justice system will do its job and ensure that this menace is off streets. If they do, it will be an exception to the rule as T. J. Wilham reported in the story (subscription):
An Albuquerque Journal investigation last year revealed that just 12.5 percent of the 281 people Albuquerque police arrested in 2006 on burglary charges received jail sentences.
That’s disgraceful. More importantly, that’s dangerous for you and me.