3-Strike Stories: Larry
"I am an inmate serving 25 years to life for evading a police officer. This crime
was a misdemeanor up until Aug. 22, 1988. I evaded arrest because I was intoxicated, and
made the wrong decision. I've spent most of my life in and out of prison due to petty drug
related crime, however, I am not what's considered to be a hard core convict, or a gang
member, nor have I ever physically harmed anyone. I am a 43-year-old certified air
con./ref. technician. I've had a drug problem most of my adult life that was never
properly addressed. The judge in my case was well aware of my past and the fact that I had
my own business--but he still chose to sentence me to serve 25 years to life. . . .
Evading arrest is a 'wobbler.' A wobbler is a misdemeanor/felony type of crime. The
majority of 3-Strike cases are wobblers. Many like myself are serving 25 years to life for
joy riding, receiving stolen property, petty theft, marijuana, drunk driving, felony
failure to appear in court, felony evading and so on. There are some parts of the state
that have refused to prosecute these types of crimes. But there are many other parts of
the state that do."
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Date last modified: 12/21/97.