First off, you guys are acting like this is unusual or something. To a cop or DA, it's nothing more than a shoplifting regardless of what the law says. Second, this has been going on for a very long time.
In my case, I was carjacked, shot and left for dead on the side of the road. Perp was caught in FL with my car. He was apprehended after a high speed chase while he and a compadre were chucking weed out the windows as fast as they could. Well... John Law did his job in FL, found the car reported stolen in NC and what had happened in this state. He was extradited to stand trial for grand theft and attempted murder. He got a hanging judge for the trial and the jury was out only 1hr. Sentence was mandatory 40yrs >WITHOUT< parole. By all methods of timekeeping, if they had meant what they said, he'd still be in Central Prison but they let him out on parole 15yrs in. FL got him then for the dope case where he served another 5, I don't know the actual sentence there. So in total, he should have been in the clink for more than 40yrs if sentences meant anything.
I found out that he had been released on parole from FL prison three weeks after the event. I got a letter from the FL parole board asking my input for parole and that the hearing was scheduled for a certain date. Only problem, that date was 4 weeks prior to my getting the letter. After a rather pointed call to a parole officer in FL, I found that karma is indeed quite the bitch. The perp got out of prison, had to catch up on a lot of partying and partook of way too much of the latest designer drugs and had a massive overdose. Said overdose left him in a permanent vegetative state with nurse Ratchet changing his diapers at the behest of the state of FL. That was 20yr ago, what are the odds that he's still around? I'd bet pretty darn slim.
Point is, this is NOTHING new. Until we rise up and demand that sentences be carried out, the crooks will just keep being crooks.
