It took them a long time to decide a charge, possibly to wait for the emotions to die down so they could slap his hands and walk away.
>>It took them a long time to decide a charge, possibly to wait for the emotions to die down so they could slap his hands and walk away.
From the version of the article on Yahoo:
The charge is a fourth-degree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine under New Mexico law. The charges also include a provision that could result in a mandatory five years in jail because the offense was committed with a gun.
18 months is hardly a “wrist slap”, even less so if they add the 5 year “evil gun” add-on (which they should)