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Kalona, IA (AHN) - A 19-year-old Kalona man faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of throwing a firecracker inside a Coralville mall in Iowa on April 16th this year.
Police charged Travis Grout with first-degree arson, public intoxication and interference with official acts for an incident at Coral Ridge Mall after a witness saw him lighting a three-inch long firecracker.
too bad he didnt hold it in his teeth when he lit it. 25 years is harsh, maybe if you just cut off a small finger? be glad nobody else (innocent victim) got hurt.
A 19-year-old Kalona man faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of throwing a firecracker inside a Coralville mall in Iowa on April 16th this year.
Unless he has an extensive history, and barring any injures to 3rd parties, this kid is looking at probation, maybe 120 days shock time.
Up to 25 years is the key. Whats the minimum sentence possible? Were there injuries? Did he panic a lot of people?
Sorry, but in today's world throwing a firecracker in to a public shopping area is absolutely moronic given the shootings that happen near or in malls. If his intention was to scare people into thinking there was a gunshot and therefor cause panic, it wouldn't be much different than yelling fire in a crowded building with the knowledge that there wasn't.
Throwing a firecracker inside of a mall is a stupid thing to do, granted, particularly given the situations we've had the last few years, (and, given the age of this kid). However, the possibility of a 25 year jail term is a bit nonsensical. Certainly, this boy/young man should be punished, but considering that murderers get out of prison early, all the time, and rapists and pedophiles run loose on our streets, our judicial system needs some revamping, with a truck load of common sense thrown in!
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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Originally Posted by John1960
Kalona, IA (AHN) - A 19-year-old Kalona man faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of throwing a firecracker inside a Coralville mall in Iowa on April 16th this year.
Police charged Travis Grout with first-degree arson, public intoxication and interference with official acts for an incident at Coral Ridge Mall after a witness saw him lighting a three-inch long firecracker.
25 years is way too much time for something this small. 1 year in jail with probation would be effective enough. where i live in the DC area, this is kid stuff compared to all the shootings and fights i hear of in malls.
Last edited by The Dissenter; 05-14-2007 at 12:21 PM..
Reason: thought
I know this man has an extensive criminal history. and has gotten off easy this is pretty extreme he did this to scare pople and to show off to the MINORS that where with him. He is a great influence isn't he. Also he was charged with being intoxicated he is 19 so if you check his criminal history you can see he was also breaking his probation by drinking alcohol.
and contributing to the delinquency of minors.
I know this guy sounds like a loser, and probably is. But 25 years in prison is too much. It would cost the state at least a half a million dollars to incarcerate this kid for that long. And that doesn't include the hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical costs that frequently end up occurring with long term inmates.
The original charges will most likely be plea bargained down to a misdemeanor public intox and whatever else they can come up with- maybe a probation violation if he pleads guilty to a lessor charge.
That's how the system works. The original charge is always harsher than reality. Our prisons are overcrowded as it is and no D.A. will likely push it any further. Fine him and sentence him to 48 hours time served. I've seen a million cases like it. No biggie. Just the local media getting their panties in a bunch because there is nothing else worth reporting.
Tell him to speak spanish only and to call ICE and they will tell the local police to release him ! And that he's just here to jobs American wont do...
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25 years is harsh, maybe if you just cut off a small finger? be glad nobody else (innocent victim) got hurt.
Certainly, this boy/young man should be punished, but considering that murderers get out of prison early, all the time, and rapists and pedophiles run loose on our streets, our judicial system needs some revamping, with a truck load of common sense thrown in!
