Posted on 12/05/2007 6:55:59 PM PST by ricks_place
Justice: The government admits that its drug-running star witness lied to investigators as the case against border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean—imprisoned for protecting our border—falls apart on appeal.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments this week in the appeal by U.S. Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean in what many believe was a grave miscarriage of justice involving two agents who were incarcerated for doing their assigned job of protecting the American people against criminals and intruders.
Judging by the questions from the panel of judges, it would seem they are not exactly enthralled with the case presented by U.S. Attorney for West Texas Johnny Sutton...
The charges arose from the Feb.17,2005, shooting of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, who tried to elude the two agents after driving a van near Fabens,Texas, that was found to hold 743-lbs of marijuana. He tried to flee back to Mexico and was shot in the buttocks by the agents who had reason to believe he was armed.
Sutton morphed this incident into a civil rights violation and the unlawful use of a firearm in the commission of a crime and convinced a jury to sentence Compean and Ramos to 12&11 years, respectively, in a federal prison...
In exchange for testifying against the two agents, Davila was given immunity from prosecution for smuggling drugs on the day he was shot. Sutton kept from the jury the fact that before trial, Davila was arrested for a second drug-smuggling incident in October2005. After Compean and Ramos were safely incarcerated, Sutton got around to indicting Davila for the second felony.
Judge Patrick Higginbotham, who heard the appeal with Judges..., said evidence that Davila made multiple attempts to smuggle drugs across the border, evidence kept from the jury, "strikes me as very relevant."...
Stelmach acknowledged that Davila told "some lies"...
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
"Truthfully, I didn't see the so-called second drug-smuggling indictment coming at all. It totally blew me away. But if the record says I filed the charges, I guess I must have filed them."
This Sutton character sound a giant POS.
What Sutton deserves:
Strip his badge.
Make him serve the same sentence as the patriots who are currently behind bars.
Make him serve the same sentence as the drug smuggler currently under indictment.
CLOSE THE DA*N BORDER
BTTT!
Really Bush’s fault.
The real question here is if the connection between Sutton and Bush running roughshod over our justice system will be revealed. There’s no doubt that the agents made mistakes. There’s every reason to believe that the “use of a weapon” law in this case was abused as it would cripple the effectiveness and self-defense of all law enforcers if upheld.
Sorry, “W”. The repercussions of this case go far beyond your protectiveness of your buddy John Sutton.
He’s going to have to take it in the butt on this one. I hope your cards and letters will salve his abused innards.
Juries never sentence anyone in Federal Court - judges do. There are several misstatements like this throughout the article. While I appreciate the content in the article, it is horribly written. This issue is too important to assign to an uninformed rookie who writes like a high school junior.
I pray for the day when Alberto Gonzales and Johnny Sutton occupy the cell from which Ramos and Compean had been freed. And I am damn sick of those FReepers chanting “rule of law” in defending this outrage. Where was the “rule of law” with Gonzales and the prosecutors when Sandy Berger committed high treason? He got community service. Disgusting.
Sutton recently acknowledged that he changed his last name from Nifong as a youngster, because he didn’t want to grow up to be like his brother, Mike!
One thing about winning an appeal versus granting a pardon, the former means the justice system got a chance to correct itself. A pardon leaves a cloud.
ping
Notice how that coward Sutton sent his lackey Stelmach to court to take the heat?
BUMP for excellence in posting. Right on.
Finally, Congress determined the penalties imposed on Compean and Ramos, by setting the punishment for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence at imprisonment for at least ten years, on top of any other sentence imposed.
I think they mean that by convicting Ramos and Compean they automatically sentenced them to at least ten years.
Sutton is WORSE than NIFONG!!! HE needs to be in PRISON.
“Sorry, “W”. The repercussions of this case go far beyond your protectiveness of your buddy John Sutton.”
Indeed!
“My hope is that under threat of incarceration Johnny Sutton sings about who put him up to this.”
That same person would pardon Sutton.
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