Interesting story on 2016 recruit Cole Kelley

[lakers1017]

"Three shots were fired. One hit Will in the back of the neck, one hit Cole Kelley in the left ankle and one struck Austin Rivault in the back of the head, tragically ending his life."

I had no idea he had been shot before.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2015/10/22/after-facing-death-best-friends-face-off-field/74059764/

[Hog_Swanson]

Wish I could read the story.  The link is blocked up here at work.

[RME]

Jeez. That's terrible.

That article left me with some unanswered questions though, but here's a couple more that kinda clear things up

http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2015/03/19/cole-kelley-testifies-first-fontenot-trial/25019939/

http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/21/victims-recall-shooting-seth-fontenot-trial/25159341/

[onebadrubi]

That's buzarre that the shooter only got 13 months in jail

[dffhogs]

In July, Fontenot was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 months in prison.

That seems kind of lite....

[welchog]

In July, Fontenot was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 months in prison.

That seems kind of lite....

Totally agree.  If I were CK, I would want to be as far away from that town next year as possible.

[HognVA]

Non violent low level drug crime has much harsher mandatory sentences. Something's not right there.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

id like to watch that game...

[Danny J]

Non violent low level drug crime has much harsher mandatory sentences. Something's not right there.

My family and I discuss this very issue all the time. Get caught with a small amount of Meth? 5 years in prison. Murder? Plea deal for 10 years...out in 3. I think some of it has to do with federal funding of local government programs but I don't know enough of the specifics.

[PorkRinds]

My family and I discuss this very issue all the time. Get caught with a small amount of Meth? 5 years in prison. Murder? Plea deal for 10 years...out in 3. I think some of it has to do with federal funding of local government programs but I don't know enough of the specifics.

Sorry, but getting caught with a small amount of meth doesn't get you 5 years in prison.  In fact, it usually doesn't get any prison time at all. 

[WorfHog]

Non violent low level drug crime has much harsher mandatory sentences. Something's not right there.

If you dig into it you'll find that Seth Fontenot, the shooter, had a very good attorney.  The prosecutors basically blew the case and they decided to forgo use of the firearm sentencing statute which would have dictated a longer minimum sentence.  Such a tragedy for all involved. It's the kind of thing that happens when you allow very stupid 18 year old's unlimited access to weapons. I'd wager Mr. Fontenot never took any kind of gun training program. If he had, he'd have learned that you NEVER point a gun and especially fire a gun at someone unless you intend to use lethal force. In my opinion the prosecutor failed in this case. Just another day in the American Justice system.

[onebadrubi]

If you dig into it you'll find that Seth Fontenot, the shooter, had a very good attorney.  The prosecutors basically blew the case and they decided to forgo use of the firearm sentencing statute which would have dictated a longer minimum sentence.  Such a tragedy for all involved. It's the kind of thing that happens when you allow very stupid 18 year old's unlimited access to weapons. I'd wager Mr. Fontenot never took any kind of gun training program. If he had, he'd have learned that you NEVER point a gun and especially fire a gun at someone unless you intend to use lethal force. In my opinion the prosecutor failed in this case. Just another day in the American Justice system.

The guy shot probably max 6-8 rounds and hit all three targets he was aiming for.  I bet 75% of the police force couldn't do that to a moving vehicle. Something is extremely fishy for that kid to only get 13 months when tried as an adult.

[theFlyingHog]

If you dig into it you'll find that Seth Fontenot, the shooter, had a very good attorney.  The prosecutors basically blew the case and they decided to forgo use of the firearm sentencing statute which would have dictated a longer minimum sentence.  Such a tragedy for all involved. It's the kind of thing that happens when you allow very stupid 18 year old's unlimited access to weapons. I'd wager Mr. Fontenot never took any kind of gun training program. If he had, he'd have learned that you NEVER point a gun and especially fire a gun at someone unless you intend to use lethal force. In my opinion the prosecutor failed in this case. Just another day in the American Justice system.

Um, I think he meant to use lethal force. He didn't start shooting people on accident...

[flippinhogmana]

If you dig into it you'll find that Seth Fontenot, the shooter, had a very good attorney.  The prosecutors basically blew the case and they decided to forgo use of the firearm sentencing statute which would have dictated a longer minimum sentence.  Such a tragedy for all involved. It's the kind of thing that happens when you allow very stupid 18 year old's unlimited access to weapons. I'd wager Mr. Fontenot never took any kind of gun training program. If he had, he'd have learned that you NEVER point a gun and especially fire a gun at someone unless you intend to use lethal force. In my opinion the prosecutor failed in this case. Just another day in the American Justice system.

I had a city prosecutor tell me once (I was a city manager at the time and was trying to promote a better relationship between him and the police department) that he expecting to be outgunned about every time he went to court if an opposing attorney shows up (in this case we are talking about just traffic court).  He said the police officers are the most uneducated, dumbest of the dumbest, etc., etc.  He elaborated that he had failed in nearly every attempt on how to get them to preserve evidence, how to maintain the record, how to write tickets properly that wouldn't get thrown out in court.  He said they were much more unreliable when it came to criminal cases.

While I recognized that the PA had an axe to grind, and there was two sides of the story, I did some investigating and came to realize that in most cases, particularly in poorer states, small town and more rural counties, the lack of money to pay competent public employees means anyone with any aptitude (including attorneys a lot of the time) seek employment elsewhere.  The attorneys might serve a short hitch in the public sector to gain experience, make contacts and build a resume, but they are often over matched in cases like this one.  Everything I learned in twenty years of service since then has confirmed that general observation.

This scenario is not always true to be sure.  There are rich counties, cities and states where the public sector makes as much or more than the private entities, at least except the very best.  New Orleans and the area around it also has its own reputation separate from anywhere else.  Probably everyone of us knows of a town in their state where the normal rules dont apply, and as the poster said, you want to live as far from them as possible.  There are a few towns in Northern Arkansas where I wouldnt want to live and very fishy things have happened, some worse than this with lesser penalties, sometimes no trials at all.

[hoglady]

This is what people talk about when discussing sentencing disparity based on race and class.
Does anyone think if this was a poor kid (no matter his color) with a public defender that he wouldn't be facing somewhere around 40 years.
The kid would have been labeled a thug from the start and his life would be over.

[onebadrubi]

This is what people talk about when discussing sentencing disparity based on race and class.
Does anyone think if this was a poor kid (no matter his color) with a public defender that he wouldn't be facing somewhere around 40 years.
The kid would have been labeled a thug from the start and his life would be over.

Yup that's it.  Since you know so much about this case please tell us how this was justified?  Because if there is not even a Bs scapegoat excuse somewhere it wouldn't be allowed.  You have no clue what went on so quit being a race baiter. 

[theFlyingHog]

This is what people talk about when discussing sentencing disparity based on race and class.
Does anyone think if this was a poor kid (no matter his color) with a public defender that he wouldn't be facing somewhere around 40 years.
The kid would have been labeled a thug from the start and his life would be over.

Darwin.