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 ...
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."
wow, great story
That aptly describes many judges as well.
Bye, bye.
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.
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.
"I want nothing more than to be a physicist," Cottrell said. Bubba will love him long time!
This brought a huge smile to my face.
Bravo. A judge actually does the right thing.
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.
I wonder where they went?
Well, there is one democrat who will never vote again...
Coulda fooled me.
Well, there is one democrat who will never LEGALLY vote again...
No doubt a true statement, but about as relevant to this story as is the fact that many SUV owners are bad people.
Finally, some good news out of our so-called judicial system...
I own two, that must make me a really vile person.
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.
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