Post-Katrina looters get 15-year sentences

[tuvor]

KENNER, La. - Three people convicted of hauling away liquor, wine and beer from a grocery store after Hurricane Katrina were sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison.

The judge said he wanted to send a message that looting would not be tolerated when he gave the maximum sentence to Coralnelle Little, 36, Rhonda McGowen, 42, and Paul C. Pearson, 36, all of Kenner.

A jury convicted the trio May 2 on a portion of the state's looting law that took effect two weeks before the Aug. 29 storm. The amended law set a three-year minimum sentence, and a maximum of 15 years in prison, for looting during a declared state of emergency.

They were convicted of attempting to leave the grocery with 27 bottles of liquor and wine, six cases of beer and one case of wine coolers, six days after Katrina made landfall.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/looters_sentenced

[acmavm]

1. There is no excuse for looting but really, Rush scoring drugs

for years, bush** & Co. killing innocent civilians, KKKarl & Co. get away with outing a CIA agent, and these poor clowns get 15 years for stealing some liquor. Count have to 3 years, but no. Judge is an asshole.

[BOSSHOG]

2. My favorite watering hole

in Slidell, northeast of New Orleans was damaged by the Hurricane but the owner told me looters did a lot more damage then the storm did. Hopefully it will be back up and running within the month.

[SmokingJacket]

3. Fifteen years is way too much.

Yes, stealing should be punished, but that's ridiculous.

[lies and propaganda]

4. absolute shit.

rapists get less time.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. Look at the time the guys like Kenny Boy gets for corporate...

looting!

[ComerPerro]

6. What if, instead of looting, they "found" things?