At a hearing today, Donte Spencer, 22, of Burleigh Avenue plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Judge John C. Themelis sentenced Spencer to 5-years in prison suspended and 3-years probation. He was ordered to write a letter of apology to the victim’s family and pay a fine as conditions of probation.
At today’s hearing, attended by the many members of the victim’s family, Spencer agreed to waive his right to a trial and pleaded guilty to the following facts. On May 20, 2006 at approximately 8:30 PM family members of 2-year old Taemier Forrester were having a family cookout in the 2300 block of Lauretta Avenue. Taemier and her mother were sitting on the house steps when the child’s mother entered the house to use the restroom. Donte Spencer was driving a vehicle in the 2300 block of Lauretta Avenue when the 2-year old darted from between two parked cars into traffic. The child became trapped in the wheel well of Spencer’s car and suffered massive head injuries. Taemier died of these injuries May 21. The medical examiner ruled her death an accident. Investigators found no speeding, drugs or alcohol involved in the accident.
Despite numerous witnesses outside at the time of the accident, Spencer was not positively identified as the driver of the vehicle that hit Taemier until a witness came forward in December 2007. A paint chip from the crime scene was eventually matched to Spencer’s car.
Assistant State’s Attorney Robin Wherley of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.
Monday, October 27, 2008
No Jail Time for Hit and Run that Killed Toddler
From the SA's office:
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15 comments:
Here's something encouraging I learned from the Nicholas Browning plea bargain story:
"no convicted killer serving life has been released on parole in Maryland since 1994, according to state officials."
It's nice to know that this state does a few things right.
convicted killers serving a year and a half, on the other hand...
"Life, suspend all but time served."
I can't cite the article, but I could swear I once read about someone receiving such a sentence.
'State v. Lawrence Cassell . Motion for Reconsideration of Sentence granted in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland; sentence reduced from life imprisonment to life, suspend all but time served; Mr. Cassell immediately released from custody. "
http://www.bennettbair.com/Sentencing.htm
It doesn't say how much time he served though. He may have served
i am so wise:
Thanks for digging up that gem. I knew I'd seen that crap before somewhere. If I could change the laws of this state the first thing I'd do is remove Motion for Reduction of Sentence from the books.
I hope that those scum who work at Bennet & Bair are proud of all those thugs that they help put back on the street. At least that slimeball Fred Warren Bennett is no longer among the living.
Things like parole and sentence reductions are useful tools when used properly. After all, the chance at earning freedom helps keep inmates in line, encourages reform, and gives the state some flexibility in disposing of inmates.
However, Baltimore City judges need to learn how to use those powers properly. If someone stays out of trouble and takes substantial efforts to make themselves potentially useful citizens, I am not opposed to rewarding them.
Also, it's rather unfair to bitch at lawyers for using the system as it was designed.
I would like to see some accurate numbers. How much does it cost to keep an inmate in one of Maryland's medium security prisons for one year?
The DOC estimates an average $2600 per inmate per month (mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/fnotes/bil_0005/sb0585.pdf), so $31,200.
We should spend less on inmate healthcare. I bet I could save a lot of money if I was put in charge of the DOC healthcare budget.
Years ago I worked for collections at UMMS. There was a sea of collectors that were housed in a large room over at Camden Yards. They spent all day every day calling various insurance companies for payment on former patients medical bills. There were 2 collectors for the inmates medical bills, they did almost nothing. The state of Maryland was slow pay, but always paid the midical bill for inmates and rarely challenged a bill for anything that UMMS threw at them. Of course, the prisoners weren't exactly willing to review the bill for services provided.
When you put as many people as our state does away for life, the cost for medical services for older inmates can be staggering. I doubt an inmate that is 80 years old and half dead is really going to go on any more crime sprees, but our citizenry get some sort of sick satisfaction of locking people up and throwing away the key at the time of sentencing, not thinking about the cost 50 years downstream.
The other demographic of inmates that receives costly medical care are those that have been stabbed or shanked or worse while incarcerated. There are a tremendous number of serious injuries that occur in our prisons due to inmate violence.
"When you put as many people as our state does away for life, the cost for medical services for older inmates can be staggering. I doubt an inmate that is 80 years old and half dead is really going to go on any more crime sprees, but our citizenry get some sort of sick satisfaction of locking people up and throwing away the key at the time of sentencing, not thinking about the cost 50 years downstream."
That's why we should execute more criminals instead of handing out life sentences. It would be MUCH more economical, assuming we could get the obscene appeals process under control.
By the way, any inmate who's still locked up at the age of 80 must have committed a pretty terrible crime. Life w/o parole sentences aren't handed out lightly. People like that never deserve the joy of being free again, regardless of how much of a threat to pose. Since we don't have the balls to kill criminals we should at least cut back on the medical care they offer to elderly lifers. I say provide them with primary care services and nothing else. If they get an illness that requires a specialist then just let them die, unless the family is willing to foot the bill for treatment.
Parole them at 70 so they can seek their own medical care - although at this point they will be on medicare and still sucking on the system's teet. I wonder what the age breakdown is for MD prisons. It sees like the life expectency might be substantially lower than on the streets.
I'm not sure the life expectancy is lower than that on the streets. Remember you get 3 healthy hots and a cot. Plus an exercise yard. In prison there is not a plentiful supply of alcohol and drugs, and what little there is can be expensive. Older prisoners often stick together and know how to manage the social structure. They can live a long long long time, plus they get the very best in medical care, they pay for nothing.
"Parole them at 70 so they can seek their own medical care"
No thank you. Look up the stories of some of the guys who've been sentenced to life w/o parole in the past few years. People like John Gaumer, Raymont Hopewell or Joseph Metheny should never, ever, ever be let loose among decent human beings. I don't care if they're 95 years old and can't get out of bed on their own, they should stay caged like the animals that they are.
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