Toast

If you ever want to see a parade of the most fouled up people you can imagine-spend a day in Norfolk General District Criminal Court and see the display of humanity brought before the Judge.

One man had been charged with over 100 crimes on various occasions and had over $12,000.00 racked up in fines and court costs-I had never until this day heard a Judge say to someone that they (the Judge) wished they'd leave the City of Norfolk, but that's what he told the defendant.

Another young man was charged with not complying with the terms of his probation and failure to appear not once, not twice but three times-the Judge ordered an immediate drug test and the young mn was next seen wearing a pair of handcuffs.

Which brings us to the reason Miss Scarlett and I were there-Copernicus was having his peliminary hearing. Just a week before, Copernicus declared that the Commonwealth didn't have enough evidence to proceed with charges and would most certainly be released this day.

Copernicus was offered the same plea bargain that the two other boys got-plead guilty, we'll wrap all the charges up into a neat little package and you go and spend 6-8 years in a more rural environment in another part of the Commonwealth. According to Copernicus, God spoke to him that morning and told him not to accept any plea bargain-demand a trial-and his attorney very nearly lost his mind upon hearing the news. The Commonwealth Attorney was like, "that's cool, throw down!"

When the testimony began, I wanted to leave my seat and throttle Copernicus right there in court. During the robbery it would seem, he grabbed the 60+ year old Asian store clerk, manhandled her and held her at knifepoint while making her open the register. The police had the knives that were used, some of the clothing they wore, the videos, the testimony of his two co-defendants and oh yea, a signed confession from Copernicus himself stating that yes, he had participated in these two robberies. Miss Scarlett and I had the chance to speak to this poor woman and her co-worker after the hearing and wht could we say? We both apologized as sincerely as we possibly could and my feeling of guilt was more than profound. This poor woman kept saying "he very young, he very young" and I think she might have even felt sorry for us.

Having said that, the Commonwealth had more than enough for the Judge to certify the charges and send them to a Grand Jury.

About an hour later, Copernicus nearly blew up the phone in his lawyers office and said that he'd take the deal that was offered, too bad for him it was a "first-time-last-time" offer and no longer on the table. Oh, by the way, the Commonwealth Attorney would be adding the five other felony charges to the list for the second robbery as well as two other burglery charges we didn't know anything about. This could mean that Copernicus was facing 14 felony charges and should he dare take it to trial, the Commonwealth could more than satisfy any burden of proof and Copernicus could very well spend the rest of his life in a Virginia Prison.

Not a very promising future for a young man just 23 years old.

Apparently now another plea deal is being worked out where some of the charges that would have otherwise been overlooked will be brought into the picture and I'm sure that the Judge will hear all about Copernicus and his apparent disregard for the rule of law-I keep thinking that these are the things they CAUGHT him doing, so I can't help but wonder what else he's gotten away with?

So, the saga with Copernicus continues, but let me ask you-what do YOU think a just and porper sentence should be? Do you think that he should have been offered the same deal since he was the ring leader or, do you think he should get more time and if so, how much? Both Miss Scarlett and I think that more than 8 years is deserved, but what is just? What is excessive or, should he ever walk the streets a free man again? Should there be anything of his life left to salvage?

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