Protesters angry drunken Ferrari driver got work release sentence

[n2doc]

About 25 people protested Friday outside the courthouse where an Olympia man was sentenced to a year of work release for leading police on a drunken chase through downtown Olympia in his Ferrari last year.

Some of the protesters said they believe that the defendant, Shaun Goodman, who pleaded guilty to DUI and felony eluding in connection with the case, was treated too leniently by the judge and prosecutor in the case.

"It's not fair that there's a two-tiered legal system, one for those with money and another for those without," Sam Miller, one of the organizers of the protest, said Friday.

While Goodman's case was pending in January, a judge signed an order modifying Goodman's conditions of release so he could fly out to New Jersey and watch the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2014/05/16/3136306/protesters-angry-drunken-ferrari.html?sp=/99/101/#storylink=cpy

Another victim of Affluenza. He had 6 prior DUI's…..

[MADem]

1. I agree.

My family is in the midst of a case of "affluenza" where a young adult murdered one of my relatives with grossly excessive speed, inattention, and a high-end sports car. It's been dragging on for over half a year, and we haven't even finished the probable cause phase. We'll be lucky to go to trial in a year or more. The wealthy family has hired the sleaziest lawyer I've ever seen in action; he is shameless and has used every delay-and-distract method available; they are trying to kick the can down the road and hope that memories will fail and witnesses will disappear, I think.

I'm retired. I got nuthin' else to do, so I'm determined to help the ones left behind by my relative's untimely death, and I'm going to attend every single court event--even the mindless little ones.

[napi21]

2. This two tier legal system is disgusting!

I see it in every state, and at every level of our court system. The person who can't afford to pay for an attorney and must rely on a court appointed one ALWAYS gets the worst end of the stick. I'm not criticizing the lawyers. They are grossly overworked and can't possibly give the amount of time necessary to defend every case.

I HATE mandatory sentencing because it doesn't work, but we really do need something like EQUAL SENTENCING where every defendant gets the same sentence for the same crime. No payoffs, no "somebody's bud", wealthy or not.

[bvar22]

3. Yes, Virginia, John Edwards (warts & all) was right.

There ARE "Two Americas."

[awoke_in_2003]

4. I think we have a three tier system...

one for the wealthy, one for the working class white man, and one for minorities. When you have multiple levels of justice, you have none.

[etherealtruth]

6. I think you are correct about the three tiered system n/t

[alfredo]

5. "In the halls of justice the only justice is in the halls" Lenny Bruce