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PARIS, Texas (AP) - A teenager who has profound mental disabilities was sentenced to 100 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges in a sex abuse case involving his 6-year-old neighbor.
Aaron Hart, 18, of Paris, was arrested and charged after a neighbor found him fondling her stepson in September. The teen pleaded guilty to five counts, including aggravated sexual assault and indecency by contact, and a jury decided his punishment.
Lamar County Judge Eric Clifford decided to stack the sentences against Hart after jurors settled on two five-year terms and three 30-year terms, The Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday. The judge said neither he nor jurors liked the idea of prison for Hart but they felt there was no other option.
Is the young man black? I skimmed the article but didn't find anything on his race. Paris has a history of trying to put blacks behind bars for as long as possible.
Is the young man black? I skimmed the article but didn't find anything on his race. Paris has a history of trying to put blacks behind bars for as long as possible.
Very sad. I'm sure there will be follow-up stories since it's being appealed, but I guess he'll sit in jail until it comes up again in the courts.
It's not that "tough" if one fully comprehends the implications of "47 IQ".
The assailant in question without a doubt had a lower level of mental functioning than his 6-year-old victim, and should no more have been free to wander the streets unprotected than any other toddler, even though he might've been encased in an adult body.
Very sad. I'm sure there will be follow-up stories since it's being appealed, but I guess he'll sit in jail until it comes up again in the courts.
The kid is probably less intelligent than the 6 year old. He won't survive in prison.
Paris is the town of Shaquanda Cotton, the black 14 year old girl who was sent to juvenile prison (TYC) for shoving a teacher. Paris is also the town where the lynching occurred a few months ago. These were both in the national news.
Like I said, I'd bet anything that this Aaron Hart is black.
EDIT: I checked the Lamar County jail records and verified that he is white. It's still a messed up place.
I also found out that he was sexually assaulted in jail in April.
Last edited by afoigrokerkok; 06-10-2009 at 10:46 PM..
I don't understand. Doesn't the jury have a right to vote "not guilty"? When they say they didn't have a choice, it seems disingenuous.
He entered a guilty plea. The jury was only involved in the sentence, not determining guilt. Unlike the vast majority of states, Texas has jury sentencing.
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