$11 theft gets three-strikes career criminal 25 years to life (Barf Alert)

CNN ^ | Nov. 15, 2002 | AP

[tuna_battle]

SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) -- A career criminal was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison under California's three-strikes law for stealing $11 worth of wine, lip balm and breath freshener.

Superior Court Judge Frank Ochoa called Ronald Herrera, 57, one of the worst criminals to pass through his courtroom, and prosecutor Darryl Perlin said: "He's what the three-strikes law is all about."

[tuna_battle]

"At trial, his lawyer said Herrera has a brain injury that made him forget to pay for the items".

A few points....

01. Why wasn't this bastard in prison already? They may have him in custody now, but they're 15 felonies late. Oh, wait, I forgot -- the 15 felonies must have been committed prior to this "three strikes law".

02. A "brain injury"? Hmmmm....

03. I'm sure this guy will be on suicide watch for a while. He can apparently live with himself for raping and robbing people. However, I doubt he will be able to live with the fact that he is where he is for STEALING BREATH FRESHENER.

[Sparta]

He can apparently live with himself for raping and robbing people

I think rape and armed robbery should be capital offences.(The death penalty saves lives and is very cost efficent in the fact we don't have to pay for multiple trials and jail sentences for repeat offenders.)

[tuna_battle]

Perhaps the lip balm and breath freshener are in preparation for his jailhouse "beee-yatch" orientation.

[Larry Lucido]

"Straw breaks camel's back. PETA blames straw manufacturers. News at 11."

[droberts]

Actually, it turns out that executing someone is more expensive than life in prison precisely because of all the appeals.

[tdadams]

Kudos to California for at least getting one thing right. If you can't live within the law after two chances, don't paint yourself as a victim when society locks you up on your third strike. You're a nuisance on the law-abiding public and we'll be happy to be rid of you. No one's crying but you, Mr. Criminal.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

For every crime that ends up with a prosecution and conviction, 100 crimes go unsolved. This guy probably got away with a lot more than 3 strikes. So sad. Too bad.

[Billthedrill]

A career criminal was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison under California's three-strikes law for stealing $11 worth of wine, lip balm and breath freshener.

Outrageous! The poor oppressed fellow, jailed for a petty theft. This is something right out of Les Miserables...but wait...

Herrera's record lists 17 serious felonies, including a 1971 home-invasion robbery and rape of a woman and her 15-year-old daughter, the shooting of a police dispatcher, and six armed robberies in Virginia.

...and CNN pretends in the headline that he was sentenced this way for stealing lib balm? This is the classic liberal argument for "cruel and unusual punishment" nature for the three-strikes-you're-out legislation. It's a swindle.

[Sparta]

I will always support the death penalty because life does not life in prison anyway and I like the reoffending rate, 0%. I think you should just have two court appeals and a clemency appeal to the governor before a punk assumes room temperature.

[Station 51]

The Three Strikes Laws presents a difficult problem for Non-Violent Criminals. Suppose someone has two previous felonies and is about to be caught for a third non-violent felony and he knows if he is caught he will spend the rest of his life in prison. The previously Non-Violent Criminal has two options:

A. Go to prison for 25 Rodeos or Life

B. Kill the Cop.

I would prefer having a million bottles of wine stolen then have on police officer killed because the Three Strikes Law.

And of course my tax dollars will be used to keep this man in prison for the rest of his life.

[Britton J Wingfield]

The 3rd strike law is pretty silly, but he should have been doing life for his first strike, rape.

For petty crimes like steaking I propose cane-and-release.

[TankerKC]

A career criminal was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison under California's three-strikes law for stealing $11 worth of wine, lip balm and breath freshener.

Then why did he do it? Seriously, every one of these "3 Strikes" stories focuses on the last crime. What is important is all of the crime that came before--because with out it, this guy would be out on the street.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Kudos to California for at least getting one thing right.

Thanks! It's well known here that after you F up twice, there is a real good chance you are going to the joint for a *long time* if you do it again. That's one reason why there are a lot of pursuits and evasion of LEOs here, as they are generally two time losers that know the score.

[philetus]

01. Why wasn't this bastard in prison already?

Why wasn't this guy executed?

[fr_freak]

California's three-strikes-you're-out law, passed in 1994, is the toughest in the nation, mandating 25 years to life for a felony committed by someone already convicted of two serious crimes.

Not sure I understand this. Since when would stealing $11 constitute a 3rd felony? Is there more to this story that we're not hearing? Like he stole $11 worth of stuff after he shot the cashier?

[paul51]

Herrera's record lists 17 serious felonies, including a 1971 home-invasion robbery and rape of a woman and her 15-year-old daughter, the shooting of a police dispatcher, and six armed robberies in Virginia

Is someone supposed to feel bad for finally finding a reason to lock this POS up?

[ikka]

For petty crimes like steaking I propose cane-and-release.

Steaking? What is that? Streaking while eating some prime rib? Stealing some mop sauce and 50lbs of charcoal?

[PLMerite]

So there should be no punishment at all because x-number of bad guys might decide to kill a victim/witness/cop instead of having *anything* negative happen to him?

[Billthedrill]

The previously Non-Violent Criminal has two options:
A. Go to prison for 25 Rodeos or Life
B. Kill the Cop.

Well, with respect, the purpose of the Three Strikes legislation is to encourage our boy to opt for:

C. DON'T DO THE CRIME!!!

The notion that there is an inevitablity to any criminal's committing crimes is, I suggest, a bit overpessimistic. "Screw up one more time and you get life" is a pretty clear, understandable message, in terms that even a career criminal must understand.

[Lassiter]

Boo hoo.

Okay, I'm done feeling sorry for him.

If he's a career criminal who has been previously convicted of rape (begs the question, "What the hell is he doing out in the first place?!?!?!?") then he can just consider this his retirement.

As for the "brain injury," why then wasn't he getting treatment? I guess they consider criminal tendencies to be brain injuries these days (the Carr brothers in Wichita, for instance). Well, I guess he's about to have an anus injury here before too long. Hope he kept that lip balm!