Comments on: West Seattle Crime Watch: ’11-time felon’ charged with stolen-car possession, break-in, hit-run, but judge reduces bail

By: Aprylla

Aprylla — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 00:40:21 +0000

What about the officer who’s gun went off accidentally in the pursute?

By: Lynn

Lynn — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:31:38 +0000

His mother must be so proud!

By: joel

joel — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 01:46:31 +0000

hisbird…..and the people following the law and living life like a normal person also have rights to not have crimes committed against them. having this person locked up makes the streets safer. this guy has had plenty of rights and chances and he’s chosen another path in life…time to put him away for a long time. if he’s locked up he’ll have plenty of time to prepare himself for court and not be distracted when he’s stealing cars, breaking into houses and being in hi speed chases putting others lives at risk.

By: Community Member

Community Member — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 00:43:07 +0000

Why do so many posters believe that a judge’s job is to automatically go along with the prosecutor’s request? Why have judges at all?
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If you are so sure that the higher bail was appropriate, why not be angry at the prosecutor for having failed to present the high bail request effectively to the judge?
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Our state constitution mandates that he be allowed out on bail, and that the bail cannot be “excessive” – that means he is actually supposed to be able to meet bail. So the bail amount isn’t about how many prior felonies he has, it’s about what financial resources he has available to post bail with.

By: hisbird

hisbird — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 19:51:15 +0000

Saying I don’t know to every question is smart if you want to give your lawyer any chance at defending you. Joel, the right to remain silent – ever heard of it? And is it really so wrong that his bail is reduced, considering his charges were as well? (vehicle theft and burglary are very serious charges VS. Possession of a stolen vehicle. Of course bail will be reduced dramatically when the charges are too – clearly they did not have enough probable cause to charge him with the original charges)… But regardless of guilt, given his priors – He is going to be convicted for this, shouldn’t he be allowed to post bail, and get his affairs in order, and prepare for his trial and inevitable sentence without the restraints of jail? Wouldn’t you want that right? No one but the people involved know why the events unfolded the way that they did, and it’s easy for all of us to be so opinionated without all the facts, or clear understanding of the limits of our judicial system. And that’s why Vanpoolers’ comment is the most poignant in this thread – (“I bet if we did a study, we’d find somewhere in the range of 5% of registered voters are capable of electing judges intelligently — meaning, knowing their qualifications and having some sense of what qualities would be good for a judge to have”) – but that’s clear in the majority of these comments where the author feels that taking away rights and due process is the solution – such hypocrites.

By: joel

joel — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 18:54:34 +0000

why do people blame the police for crime? it’s the courts that are the problem….as shown in this story. if you are a cop why risk your life to arrest this person when it’s just a game to the criminal and to our courts?…..11 Past felonies….and now this one.

dude answered ‘ i don’t know to nearly every question’….I’d taze him a few times and see how quickly his answers and poor attitude change.

By: anonyme

anonyme — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 14:51:01 +0000

Can we kick Shaffer out now? This is the third time in recent weeks that she’s drastically reduced bail for a career criminal. BTW, anyone see Alan Polevia lately? Isn’t it time for him to be arrested and let out again?

By: Community Member

Community Member — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 03:54:02 +0000

“Officers also located and photographed the stripped seats from the stolen car, which were located in the garage at (the address where he was arrested).”
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That part is REALLY interesting. He isn’t welcome at the house, etc, don’t blame the residents, they have nothing to do with him, etc, – but the property just happens to be where he strips out the stolen car?
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The size of the bail is to make it lucrative enough for the bail recovery agent to capture and bring in a fugitive. Bail isn’t supposed to keep the accused behind bars, it is set at a level that the accused can meet by contracting with a bondsman. In fact, our state constitution requires that.
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By: WSB

WSB — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 22:26:57 +0000

In reply to Laura.

The 3-strikes (AKA persistent-offender) law is explained here:
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http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2010/11/17/what-crimes-count-toward-the-three-strikes-law/

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 22:18:55 +0000

Wow! An 11 time felon. What happened to the 3 strikes and YOU ARE out rule or maybe that only applies to greater crimes. It’s pretty obvious the guy is winning. How else can you rack up 11 felonies. What a joke! Blah, blah, blah…….

By: Matt S.

Matt S. — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 17:13:56 +0000

Maybe it’s time for me to try my hand at freelance crime. Here I thought the risks would be too severe, but it looks like web development might be a riskier business after all.

What more must one do to prove they’re not adding any value to society?

By: Vanpooler

Vanpooler — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 09:47:37 +0000

Funny, people say “vote out” this judge. But incidentally, voting for judges is a really bad way to run a judicial branch. But, it’s what we do in Washington. I bet if we did a study, we’d find somewhere in the range of 5% of registered voters are capable of electing judges intelligently — meaning, knowing their qualifications and having some sense of what qualities would be good for a judge to have. Most smarter states have judicial appointments after careful evaluation by the bar, panels of appointed citizens, and others specifically charged with vetting the best judges. Washington needs to change this. Oh and as to this judge’s bail decision, probably wasn’t that crazy. Bail cannot be used to incarcerate, just to ensure appearance.

By: Eastside resident

Eastside resident — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 04:52:12 +0000

Try this one on for size… a convicted felon is arrested for 2 counts of indecent liberty’s with a minor and 2 counts of possession of a stolen gun. His bail is set at $250.000. He then is given work release by a judge before he has even gone to trial. He stays in the work release program for over a month before he finds a job. Why bother setting such a high bail if they are going to let him out everyday. This man lived across the street from me and the girl he molested is autistic. How do you feel knowing that he is out on the streets of your city.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 02:00:54 +0000

It’s only a matter of time before this guy kills someone during one of his crime sprees. Will it be someone you know? A family member? You?

By: CandrewB

CandrewB — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 23:41:22 +0000

Usually I am one to go off half-cocked on judges and prosecutors, but I sat on one of her juries as well. She seemed pretty no-nonsense.