2.5 Years to tak a Deal is that even Legal?

So here I am late on a Friday night stuck at work. Now I am hoping that you all can see since early December I have really tried to step up my game in regards to my postings and there quality. I have to be honest the week of rain and the couple of extra shifts I have been working have taken there toll on my most recent efforts. In fact I am currently 2 postings behind. I have almost completed a posting in regards to some abuses that I have not shared before. Than of course those of you have received my most recent emails know I am chopping at the bit to post about my most recent document findings in regards to the Juarez case. Now that I have shared all that I was not really expecting to be working on anything tonight while at work. But I will be damned if I didn’t open up the current Independent and just had to share my findings with you all.

THE STORY READS “ Three Eastside gang members – Omar Ramos Erick Roman and Ricardo Nava- all pleaded guilty to attempted murder with a gang enhancement and were sentenced in Santa Barbara Superior Court on 1/25. Ramos was sentenced to twenty years, both for the aforementioned charges and for a gang strike. Roman received a total of 17 years 8 months and Nava’s sentencing will have him in prison for the rest of 19 years. According to prosecutor Hans Almgren the three attacked a rival Westside gang member on the 600 block of Del Monte Avenue on June 28th 2007” END OF INDEPENTDENT STORY

So after having read that account and all my effort to inform you all about court procedures. An the abuses by the Santa Barbara District Attorneys office what bothers you most about this story. Wait one minute please I jumped the gun and would not be doing Sarah Palin ay credit if I left out here journalism credentials and her goals with her new media show. Less we forget her show will be different because she will be old school and her stories will include the 5 W’s, Who,What,Where,When,Why. OK I will get to the point. Who was the Judge and what court room did sentencing take place. For that matter who was the defendant’s attorneys and for 60 years in prison the story could at least recount the criminal act. So what was the term for the main charge and the how many years for the gang enhancement? Now all of you who have paid attention from my previous posting know there are some very serious procedural problems still with this case. So at first glance based on the sentencing one would think this was another slam dunk gang case and the District Attorney’s office had done there job, oh but wait lets review some more. It took two and a half years for these men to cop a plea? What happen to 90 days for a preliminary hearing and one year to conclude the case as per California Judicial Council Guidelines? If the District Attorneys case was that strong why the lack of a trial, Why would defendants hold out for two years and there attorney’s not ask that charges be dropped?


Obviously I will have to research this case but 2.5 years and everyone in the court room acted as if that was legal? I wonder what the pre-sentencing reports say because there is no reference made in the story. It also seams odd to me that our Santa Barbara News press missed this chance to take another pot shot at our youth. I sure hope that some way some how we get some media attention from somewhere out side of Santa Barbara.