Posted on 09/06/2006 9:09:17 AM PDT by Ro_Thunder
A driver trying to evade authorities thought a recent change in the Houston Police Department's chase policy would help him get away from a Harris County Sheriff's deputy Tuesday night.
Sheriffs officials said Richard Javier Ramos,35, said he thought HPD's revised chase policy was still in effect and would allow him to flee from authorities.
HPD officers were alerted when Ramos entered city limits and assisted deputies with the chase.
Ramos had been arrested and charged for evading arrest in a motor vehicle almost 2 months ago. He was serving jail time over the weekends. He has been charged again with the same offense in this latest incident.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
What kind of idiotic judge allows a man who ran from police to be out free during the week, and just serve his 'time' on Saturdays and Sundays? I sure as heck hope this guy doesn't get the same judge he got last time.
Actually, it's not all that uncommon. People who otherwise are productive citizens commit a non-violent crime (usually a misdemeanor) are often allowed to serve their time in this fashion. Same thing for non-violent offenders that have families that depend on them for financial support.
See "work release".
It's the Andy Taylor/Mayberry approach.
LOL. I heard this driver on the radio say "I thought it was over! (the chase policy). They were supposed to stop chasing me"
This was a big issue recently in Houston when the new police chief ordered that the cops stop chases for small offenses. It has since been overturned, but this guy didn;t get the message. LOL.
It is proof of the idiocy of the order in the first place.
Instead of not chasing cars that run they should be vastly increwasing the penalties for running, like chargin all of them with attemptedassault with a deadly weapon.
As soon as they run the car should be considered a deadly wreapon and the driver should be dealt with just like they were running away waving a gun.
But in Mayberry, Otis let himself into the jail cell.
Man, those were the days, eh?
So I take it you would rather support the children of these folks rather than have the parents support them? If you don't think your taxes are high enough, you can always make donations to the government, but liberals like you probably want all of us to contribute to the support of the kids.
You nailed it, Thanks.
I didn't realize that running from the police was a misdemeanor. Wouldn't that be considered resisting arrest (even if by evasion)? I'll have to check, but for some silly reason I thought that was a felony.
Evading arrest can be either a felony or a misdemeanor.
EVADING ARREST OR DETENTION. (a) A person
commits an offense if he intentionally flees from a person he knows
is a peace officer attempting lawfully to arrest or detain him.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor,
except that the offense is:
(1) a state jail felony if the actor uses a vehicle
while the actor is in flight and the actor has not been previously
convicted under this section;
(2) a felony of the third degree if:
(A) the actor uses a vehicle while the actor is in
flight and the actor has been previously convicted under this
section; or
(B) another suffers serious bodily injury as a
direct result of an attempt by the officer from whom the actor is
fleeing to apprehend the actor while the actor is in flight; or
(3) a felony of the second degree if another suffers
death as a direct result of an attempt by the officer from whom the
actor is fleeing to apprehend the actor while the actor is in
flight.
(c) In this section, "vehicle" has the meaning assigned by
Section 541.201, Transportation Code.
(d) A person who is subject to prosecution under both this
section and another law may be prosecuted under either or both this
section and the other law.
Until the 2001 legislative session, it was a misdemeanor if you ran from the cops in your vehicle and it was the first time you'd done so. Now it's a felony.
Forgot the citation - that's Texas Penal Code Section 38.04.
So you don't want the parent to be able to support the children, and you don't want to support them through the welfare program, so I suppose the solution is to starve the children for the sins of the parent.
By the way - have you checked the mazimum penaties for common traffic violations?
So you're saying people who run from the police should get a 'week liberty', but just serve thier time on the weekends?
What I'm saying is that if the idiot gets a bunch of tickets, doesn't pay them, and has to spend some time in jail to make amends, he or she shouldn't be doing it on a part time basis. If there are children involved, IE - that person is a single parent, they probably shouldn't be a parent in the first place, because they are too stupid or selfish to parent properly. The children should go to more responsible relatives, and if there are none, then sure - foster care, or other arrangements.
This guy has made it a habit - (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me) - from running from the cops. This last time he thought it was ok, because the POLICE POLICY as advertised was they would not chase you. That is EXACTLY the opposite of what should be happening. If you're a criminal, you should be punished.
If you children did something stupid, then lied to you and ran from you about it, would you punish them only on the weekends, but let them do whatever they want during the week?
I'd send them to school during the week (the childhood equivalent of work) rather than make them stay in their rooms (the childhood equivalent of prison) 7 days a week. If you consider work (or school) 'doing whatever they want' you must have a lot softer job than most folks.
...and if there are none, then sure - foster care
So you do want to put it back on the taxpayers.
Rather than give a CRIMINAL a break, yes.
Criminals are people who BREAK THE LAW. They do not repeatedly DESERVE breaks.
Do you remember "Don't the crime, if you can't serve the time?"
I'm not the criminal here, this idiot is. He's repeatedly shown contempt for the police, and general civility laws that help keep good order.
Children, or not, he should be reprimanded appropriately. I have ZERO compassion for an idiot who sees the police lights in their mirror and they hit the gas pedal, thinking they can run away. You might get away from the cop behind you, but his buddies on the radio? Probably not.
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