Men Who Took Food in Trash Get 6 Months

[deadparrot]

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Two men who took fruit and vegetables out of a garbage can have been sentenced to six months in jail.

Giles Charle, 24, of Sumersworth, N.H., and David Siller, 27, of Wayne, Pa., said the punishment was harsh and the only choice they had to avoid a felony on their records.

They were on their way to the Rainbow Family's annual gathering when they were arrested in June and charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor theft. Authorities said they took five cucumbers, four or five apricots, two bundles of asparagus spears and a handful of cherries from a garbage can at Sweet Pea Produce.

The two pleaded guilty to misdemeanor trespassing Wednesday and the felony charge was dropped.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/0906/0202_6mos_taking_trash.html

[Erika]

1. W's America n/t

[lonestarnot]

6. Perfect summation.

[lakeguy]

2. didn't northwest airlines just put out a book on how employees

or soon to be un-employees could save money with dumpster diving as one of the activities?

[NanceGreggs]

3. Why are these people trespassing ...

... on private property, messing up the garbage?

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"

:sarcasm:

[TomInTib]

4. Have they no dignity?

and just what exactly the heck were their intentions?

'They were on their way to the Rainbow Family's annual gathering when they were arrested in June and charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor theft. Authorities said they took five cucumbers, four or five apricots, two bundles of asparagus spears and a handful of cherries from a garbage can at Sweet Pea Produce.'

[pitohui]

10. tom didn't you post the first thread, can you link it to this one? EOM

i thought it a pretty good discussion

[NanceGreggs]

12. Their intentions?

I don't know, but I think maybe the FBI should have been called in. They might have been planning a 'terraist attack'. Few people realize that a two-day old asparagus spear, when used as a cherry-launcher, can take down buildings. (The cucumbers and apricots were obviously taken to throw the DHS off the track.)

[intaglio]

16. Quoting that off the wall Lib'rul Dickens

Every country needs another Dickens.

Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule

[wellst0nev0ter]

5. Another Reason Our Prisons Are Overcrowded

ferfucksakes :eyes:

[Rosemary2205]

7. Someone needs to slap that DA's momma.

Obviously he was dropped on his head one time too many.

[pitohui]

8. there was another thread discussing this

but they were somewhat complicit in their own destruction, since they refused a trial and pled out on the "lesser" charge

why do people do that?

what jury would have convicted them when the owner of the property was willing to testify that there was no theft?

they needed a better attorney, i'm sick of these cheezy attorneys that tell poor people to go to jail for a few months to save THEM extra work

as a middle class "dumpster diver" i have never been treated with anything other than respect

this is total classism and -- i believe -- totally targeting these folks for being "rainbow"

i think they could have fought this, but hell -- colorado -- that is pretty scary, i assume they just didn't know what to do and thought they had to plead out

[dsc]

17. They went to several lawyers

and each and every one said to plea.

[Rainscents]

9. Unbelievable!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[silverweb]

11. Shameful.

Absolutely shameful.

I'm embarrassed for our country.

:blush:

[HardWorkingDem]

13. There has to be something more to this story....

does anyone know more about this story? There has to be more to it than what is in the link here.

In the link it mentions this group being a "nomadic" group. What I'm getting at is this some sort of group that has a history of trouble in Colorado, or what?

(To be clear, from the information given the 6 months seems outrageous, but it also seems like something is missing.)

[w4rma]

14. Previous thread on this subject. Lots more information.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2043362&mesg_id=2043362

[HardWorkingDem]

21. Thanks, more understandable now.......

though I think 6 months is ridiculous, it makes more sense now.....

[madmusic]

15. Yeah, it's called "zero tolerance."

An all American pass time.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

18. Rainbow gatherings cause no trouble for anyone unless authorities decide

to make it. They are routinely harassed by police and even post on their website to be especially careful once people crossed into CO, because the cops were out to get them.

They're no real group, per se. It's more like a festival-type event where a bunch of hippies, artists, musicians et cetera get together to camp out and celebrate peace and love. They're only nomads in the sense that they're the same sort of people who likely followed the Grateful Dead or Phish.

[Javaman]

19. People won't be outraged until it's a loaf of bread. nt.

[warrens]

20. There has to be more to this

As stated, it's absurd. No judge in the world would impose a jail sentence for this. Not even the rightwing crazies.