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Rochelle Riley: Sentences in Steve Utash mob beating are not justice
Utash was 54 years old and weighed 155 pounds when he was attacked. He was beaten after he did what many drivers don’t: He stopped to check on a child he accidentally hit with his truck.
He was beaten so severely that doctors had to place him in a medically induced coma for 10 days. Within weeks, police found only four of the 12 to 20 men — and one teen — who set upon him near the corner of Morang and Balfour.
The men pleaded guilty, and their sentences — the last one announced in court yesterday — totaled 7.6 years.
So the bottom line is this: Utash, who was nearly killed by a mob on Detroit’s east side, will spend more time recuperating than the men who beat him will spend in prison.
The most troubling words in this entire case — from April until now — came from Wayne County Circuit Court Judge James Callahan when he sentenced 19-year-old Latrez Cummings to six months as part of a youth program that could one day erase his record completely. Callahan almost casually dismissed Cummings’ actions by saying “ We’ve all been 19 years of age,” according to news reports. And he said that Cummings needed a father in his life.
He was beaten so severely that doctors had to place him in a medically induced coma for 10 days. Within weeks, police found only four of the 12 to 20 men — and one teen — who set upon him near the corner of Morang and Balfour.
The men pleaded guilty, and their sentences — the last one announced in court yesterday — totaled 7.6 years.
So the bottom line is this: Utash, who was nearly killed by a mob on Detroit’s east side, will spend more time recuperating than the men who beat him will spend in prison.
The most troubling words in this entire case — from April until now — came from Wayne County Circuit Court Judge James Callahan when he sentenced 19-year-old Latrez Cummings to six months as part of a youth program that could one day erase his record completely. Callahan almost casually dismissed Cummings’ actions by saying “ We’ve all been 19 years of age,” according to news reports. And he said that Cummings needed a father in his life.
full: http://www.freep.com/article/20140718/COL10/307180019/Rochelle-Riley-Sentences-in-Steve-Utash-mob-beating-are-not-justice
Most of us would've expected each of the young men who beat Utash to be serving YEARS each behind bars. Unfortunately, that's not really the case. More info from this article:
Earlier this week, the prosecutor’s office announced it was filing a motion for a re-sentence after James Deontae Davis, 24, was given a year in jail as part of a five-year probation sentence. Based on the sentencing guidelines, he should’ve been given 19 months to more than three years, according to the prosecutor.
An exchange between the judge and prosecutor became heated, as Lindsey argued that Cummings’ personal life is no excuse for the severe beating. Callahan noted that if Cummings violates his probation, he could serve the maximum sentence.
Wonzey Saffold, 30, received a sentence of six to 10 years in prison, in part because of previous convictions. Bruce Wimbush Jr., 18, who has no prior criminal history, was given three years of probation under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act and must submit to drugs screenings.
