50 Years In Prison For Stealing Rack Of Ribs

rockin'robin

rockin'robin

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Trying to steal a $35 rack of pork ribs will cost a Texas man 50 years in prison.

The seemingly stiff sentence handed down Wednesday dates back to a September 2011 incident, in which Willie Smith Ward, 43, attempted to steal a package of meat from the H-E-B grocery store in Waco. An employee approached Ward and asked what he had under his clothing.

Ward said, “I got a knife,” after the ribs fell out from beneath his shirt, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports.

Ward’s lengthy rap sheet likely affected the decision of the jurors, who required two minutes to convict Ward and roughly an hour to determine his sentence. His previous convictions include burglary, attempted robbery, cocaine possession and theft, among others.

“This verdict shows that the citizens of this county will not tolerate a continued disrespect and disregard for other people and their property,” said Assistant District Attorney J.R. Vicha. “People who choose to do so will be dealt with seriously and appropriately.”

http://washingtonweeklynews.com/wil...50-years-in-prison-for-stealing-rack-of-ribs/
 
Steal... Threat to kill anyone... plus more criminal in past.... for 50 years? Sound about right. I think.
 
The court system is so messed up! 50 years for stealing meat but if a guy threaten to kill his g/f or ex wife he is only serves a court restraining order and told to stay away from the woman. :roll:
 
Ward’s lengthy rap sheet likely affected the decision of the jurors, who required two minutes to convict Ward and roughly an hour to determine his sentence. His previous convictions include burglary, attempted robbery, cocaine possession and theft, among others.
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and the fact that he had a knife and mentioned it to the employee with the implication of harm probably also had a lot to do with why he got 50 years in addition to stealing ribs. He's a 'repeat offender' with that rap sheet of his.

Plus...he might not serve all 50 years or he will appeal it.
 
sorry to say America hair breath from chopping hand off..now that do have some good points but maybe this crime don't deserve 50years
 
Ive known rapists hanxed 2 and 4,
But
Guess ribs are a bit more inportant to society
Juatice,,,,
All rather silly at this point.
 
Saw a comment that said.....'You can get the death sentence for jay walking in Texas'!....:giggle:,,so a rack of ribs?...but claimed he had a knife....:hmm:...
 
hoichi said:
Ive known rapists hanxed 2 and 4,
But
Guess ribs are a bit more inportant to society
Juatice,,,,
All rather silly at this point.
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It's Texas kind sir....I am surprised they did not hang him on the spot....
:p
 
Before Alabama legislature criminalized the possession of illicit drugs with felony in 1971, in 1970, the state prison had around 1,000 inmates with only 5 prisons and it had been stable after WWII to mid 1970s, so state prison has 32,000 inmates with 15 prisons, also 190% overcapacity.

Before 1965, most murderers received automatic death penalty and the execution started much sooner instead of wait for 20-30 years.

Most non-violent crimes (misdemeanor and low level felony) are punished by local jail (city or county) and hard labor camp (farming).

State prisons were designed to house the inmates for convicted of violent felony crime.

The drug addicts were usually sent to hospital for treatment, even they could locked up in state hospital by court's order.

No surprise about my state screwed up a lot.
 
First of all the stealing of the ribs should of been a misdemeanor, but if Texas wants to pay $50,000 and rising each year to keep this guy in prison for the next 50 years, so be it. A nice stiff sentence of community service probably would of been a better punishment. The problem with the American judicial system is we have people in it who can't see the forest thru the trees and to a large extent have no common sense!
 
like in uk each judge gives criminal something different it luck of the day and area..
 
From RR's link;

“This verdict shows that the citizens of this county will not tolerate a continued disrespect and disregard for other people and their property,” said Assistant District Attorney J.R. Vicha. “People who choose to do so will be dealt with seriously and appropriately.”
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That!

Hoichi, you don't want him on the streets for a long time. Am I mistaken?
 
CrazyPaul said:
From RR's link;

That!

Hoichi, you don't want him on the streets for a long time. Am I mistaken?
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I think the cost of prison is more expensive to society then the cost of ribs....
Obviously
Texas disagrees..
Cool.
Money grows on trees anyway in america judging how much of it shs seems to piss Away,
 
hoichi said:
I think the cost of prison is more expensive to society then the cost of ribs....
Obviously
Texas disagrees..
Cool.
Money grows on trees anyway in america judging how much of it shs seems to piss Away,
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Don't commit crime in Alabama or you will slipped under 1977 Habitual Offender Act with life sentence with no parole in state prison.
 
Foxrac said:
Don't commit crime in Alabama or you will slipped under 1977 Habitual Offender Act with life sentence with no parole in state prison.
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Well alabama has loads of money to piss away too so


Sure..
 
hoichi said:
Well alabama has loads of money to piss away too so


Sure..
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That's not true.

We already suffered with a lot of budget cut.

Alabama prisons are 190% overcapacity and understaffed.
 
Foxrac said:
That's not true.

We already suffered with a lot of budget cut.

Alabama prisons are 190% overcapacity and understaffed.
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Wow!...guessing that makes us law-abiding, super-squares look like idiots because we obey the law.....:giggle:
 
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