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Student gets 8 years for SUV vandalism
Reuters ^ | 04/19/05 | Reuters

Posted on 04/19/2005 6:40:56 AM PDT by Pikamax

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- An aspiring physicist was sentenced Monday to more than eight years in prison and ordered to pay $3.5 million for his role in a spree of arson and vandalism that targeted gas-guzzling Hummers and other sports utility vehicles.

Rejecting pleas for clemency from William Cottrell, a 24-year-old doctoral candidate in physics at the California Institute of Technology, U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner added more time to the sentence after finding that Cottrell was trying to sway consumers with his anti-SUV message.

The slogans Cottrell spray-painted onto vehicles included "Fat Lazy Americans," "No Respect for Earth" and "SUV Terrorism."

Cottrell, who admitted only spray-painting and testified he did not know that two friends were bringing Molotov cocktails, promised he would never break the law again.

The two friends have fled the country to avoid prosecution, authorities said.

"I want nothing more than to be a physicist," Cottrell said. "I would do anything to earn any leniency the court could show in this matter."

(Excerpt) Read more at us.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: arson; cottrell; ecoterror; elf; envirowhackos; radicalleft; suv
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1 posted on 04/19/2005 6:40:56 AM PDT by Pikamax
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To: Pikamax

Best line in the article:

"The defendant engaged in conduct to send a political message," said federal prosecutor Beverly Reid O'Connell.

"He's a scheming, arrogant person who is disdainful of the law and the justice system."


2 posted on 04/19/2005 6:41:38 AM PDT by ruiner
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To: ruiner

wow, great story


3 posted on 04/19/2005 6:43:22 AM PDT by Idisarthur
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To: ruiner
"He's a scheming, arrogant person who is disdainful of the law and the justice system."

That aptly describes many judges as well.

4 posted on 04/19/2005 6:44:17 AM PDT by Sthitch
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To: Pikamax

Bye, bye.


5 posted on 04/19/2005 6:44:30 AM PDT by Sundown2005
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To: Pikamax

The anti-SUV crowd are becoming as asinine as the ELF and other eco terrorists. I would not have been so lenient. SUV's are not the enemy.


6 posted on 04/19/2005 6:44:35 AM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: Pikamax
"I would do anything to earn any leniency the court could show in this matter."

Tell him to name every name and address for everyone he knows involved with this terrorist group, the ELF. For every conviction, we'll knock three months off the sentence.

7 posted on 04/19/2005 6:44:42 AM PDT by TheBigB (Proudly annoying stupid people since 1970!)
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To: Pikamax

"I want nothing more than to be a physicist," Cottrell said. Bubba will love him long time!


8 posted on 04/19/2005 6:44:50 AM PDT by richardtavor (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem in the name of the G-d of Jacob)
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To: Pikamax

This brought a huge smile to my face.


9 posted on 04/19/2005 6:45:19 AM PDT by frankiep
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To: ruiner

Bravo. A judge actually does the right thing.


10 posted on 04/19/2005 6:45:39 AM PDT by Rokurota (.)
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To: Pikamax

Prediction: This will be overturned in the 9th Circus Court of Idiots on the basis that the jerk-physicist free speech was violated or some such nonsense as that.


11 posted on 04/19/2005 6:46:18 AM PDT by el_texicano
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To: Pikamax
"The two friends have fled the country to avoid prosecution, authorities said."

I wonder where they went?

12 posted on 04/19/2005 6:46:48 AM PDT by Ed_NYC
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To: Pikamax

Well, there is one democrat who will never vote again...


13 posted on 04/19/2005 6:46:52 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - They want to die for Islam, and we want to kill them.)
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To: Pikamax
"I want nothing more than to be a physicist," Cottrell said.

Coulda fooled me.

14 posted on 04/19/2005 6:48:31 AM PDT by ladtx ( "Remember your regiment and follow your officers." Captain Charles May, 2d Dragoons, 9 May 1846)
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To: 2banana

Well, there is one democrat who will never LEGALLY vote again...


15 posted on 04/19/2005 6:48:51 AM PDT by willgolfforfood
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To: Sthitch
That aptly describes many judges as well.

No doubt a true statement, but about as relevant to this story as is the fact that many SUV owners are bad people.

16 posted on 04/19/2005 6:48:53 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Pikamax

Finally, some good news out of our so-called judicial system...


17 posted on 04/19/2005 6:50:00 AM PDT by clintonh8r (Heteronormative and PROUD!!)
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To: Pikamax
Extremely hard to believe this happened in CA.
18 posted on 04/19/2005 6:51:19 AM PDT by JIM O
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To: Larry Lucido

I own two, that must make me a really vile person.


19 posted on 04/19/2005 6:53:01 AM PDT by Sthitch
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To: Pikamax

Well I don't know if this idiot will commit another crime in his life.. but for the next several years he'll have pleanty of time to think about this one... Arrogant ass.


20 posted on 04/19/2005 6:53:39 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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