cannabisnews.com: Judge to Sentence Michigan Man who Escaped 25 Year





Judge to Sentence Michigan Man who Escaped 25 Year
Posted by FoM on February 08, 1999 at 06:13:10 PT

MARTINSVILLE, Va. A man who escaped from a jail work-crew 25 years ago and then fled to Michigan is now an exemplary citizen, according to a judge. 
However, the accolade may not be enough to keep Alfred Odell Martin III out of prison. Martin, 49, faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced today on the escape charge, which he pleaded guilty to last month. He could get another three months to a year for his original 1970s conviction for selling $10 worth of marijuana to a co-worker. His family believes no purpose is served by keeping the suburban Detroit resident in jail, and hopes he'll be released on probation. But Commonwealth's Attorney Joan Ziglar said Martin should spend more time behind bars, sending a message to other inmates that they can't walk away and expect leniency. Anne Coughlin, a University of Virginia criminal law professor, said Martinsville Circuit Judge Charles Stone faces "a really agonizing call." "What you're really seeing here is a collision of the goals of the criminal justice system," she said. "There's retribution and deterrence on one side and individual rehabilitation on the other." Martin was just about two days into his one-year sentence when he left a jail work-crew on Feb. 13, 1974. A prosecutor said Martin likely would have spent only about three months in jail on the conviction. There is little question that Martin turned his life around after getting caught selling $10 worth of marijuana to a police informant who was working with him at a department store. Had he not been caught driving with expired license plates in Michigan last November, and if Virginia had not pressed for extradition, he would still be working at a mortgage company and living with his school-teaching wife and three children. At the time of his extradition, Martin was praised by a judge in Detroit as being "exemplary." The judge also called his family "a credit to Michigan." But Judge William Cahalan also said he had to honor Virginia's request because recent court rulings prevented a governor from blocking an extradition. Virginia first sought his extradition in 1974, but then-Gov. William Milliken, under old rules, was able to grant Martin legal asylum. 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: