txags92 said:
CoachRTM said:
I know a guy from my high school that was generally a good kid. He made a mistake far worse than this one - he drove drunk and got in an accident that killed someone when he was 17 or 18 years old.
He served some time in jail (not as much as you probably think) and had a massive probationary period, but to the outside world, they probably saw that as not punitive enough. He couldn't drink through college, so what?
What they didn't see is that this kid ws haunted by this from the moment it happened. He really was a good kid that made about as bad of a mistake as you can… but if we're all being honest, I'm sure most of us could point to a time in our lives that we probably shouldn't have gotten behind the wheel.
The family of the deceased person really took the time to understand the kid and get to know him, and were his biggest supporters by the end of the trial - they still have a relationship to this day.
I'm not trying to compare that situation to this one, simply saying that there is a grey area that needs to be taken into account. I have no idea who this kid is, but I understand the police taking time to talk to friends/family to understand him before choosing what charges to press.
That case has two differences from this that I can see right away, and I think they are both important. 1) Presumably the drunk kid either killed a friend riding with him, or a stranger that he never targeted or had any intention to act aggressively toward. 2) The activity that resulted in the accident was drinking and driving, which is not in itself violent or aggressive towards others (even if it is stupid and predictably led to an accident). In this case, the kid picked out a group of people who he had presumably been taught not to like, and he went after them (reportedly more than once) to aggressively harass and/or assault them depending on how you view it. The method he used to do it was dangerous and reckless. And he severely injured several people in the course of all of that. I am not heartless about it, and realize he may actually have a lot of remorse now, but what does his remorse now do to prevent every other redneck in Waller county from thinking it is ok to do this in the future, if he gets a slap on the wrist?
Agreed. The cases aren't that similar, and like I said, I don't mean to compare the two.
That being said, if the guy I knew had a history of drinking and driving, or any other criminal activity in his past, I think really severe punishment would have been warranted. Since he didn't, it seems like the "lesser" punishment fit his case.
That's all I was trying to say from the beginning. This "coal roller" did something stupid and dangerous and deserves punishment. I just think that his prior history should be taken into account.
And to the person who thinks that if he gets a slap on the wrist then it'll be open season in Waller county, I disagree with you - his family is going to be sued into bankruptcy I would imagine.