Man Argues He's Too Overweight for Jail By Associated Press
document.write(getElapsed("20051206T024005Z")); Mon Dec 5, 9:40 PMUPDATED 18 HOURS 37 MINUTES AGO
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A man who allowed his home to be used to store crack cocaine that was shipped by mail was sentenced to 14 years in prison, federal officials said.
Michael Washington, 32, pleaded guilty last January to making his home available for the storage of crack cocaine, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office.
Washington, who weighs 574 pounds, argued during sentencing that he was too obese and in too poor of health to be adequately cared for in prison, and requested home confinement. However, the court said the agency was capable of addressing his medical needs.
Prosecutors said he admitted that in October 2001 he and his wife tried to obtain a package of crack sent from a source in California through the U.S. mail.
Officers seized the package and found more than 100 grams of cocaine inside. They resealed the package and had it delivered to Washington's residence. When officers entered the home, they found the opened package and Washington in the basement, the news release said.
The U.S. attorney's office said that during the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Washington admitted that he had been involved in the sale of crack cocaine since 1996
Here's another standard we sure don't want to go setting. Too fat for prison? No... I think it should be a golden opportunity to go on a diet. Maybe spend a few years doing sit-ups and isometrics.
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
If I were the judge I would tell him you can shorten your sentence by one month for each ten pounds he loses. Now go to jail, do not pass go do not collect $200.
I don't know about reducing his sentence for losing weight, I just think that it's a slippery slope when folks start pleading they are "too anything" to go to jail. Ms. LaFave should not get a pass for being "too pretty" to go to jail. She is an attractive woman, but is she so stark-raving beautiful as to be afforded special treatment? No.... let's not forget she was a school teacher, not a supermodel. She clearly wasn't "too pretty" to do the crime, so she shouldn't be "too pretty" to do the time.
Being "too fat" is just as bad of an excuse. If he gets a pass for being too fat, that will just encourage other people to try other silly excuses. I can see it now, " Your honor, my client can't be sentenced to prison. He has horrific body odor. The stench from his feet could knock a buzzard off a carcass 50 yards away. It's just not right." Or how about defense planning... "Well, Wanda... perhaps you should not have videotaped yourself hacking your husband to death. It just doesn't look good for the not guilty plea. How about you start eating about 5 Big Mac's and a couple gallons of Haggen Daas every day? You'll still get convicted, but they won't be able to wedge you into a cell. By the way... are you particularly flatulent?"
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
