By Samantha Brill
On December 2, 2016, Ramon Sanchez, Jr., reported to court, with Judge Samuel T. McAdam presiding, for sentencing after being found guilty on two counts, one count of trespassing and the other count for resisting arrest committed on September 8, 2016.
Before the court announced Mr. Sanchez’s sentence, Mr. Sanchez’s defense attorney plead for the court to administer a lesser sentence. The defense stated that a conviction, in considering his priors of one felony and another misdemeanor, would make it harder for the defendant to find housing.
Because there was no allegation of threats or stealing, the defense believes three years of supervised probation is unfair and asked for a shorter non-supervised term. Also, the defense asked the court for no jail time so the defendant would be able to find work and no longer be homeless.
Lastly, in terms of restitution for a fountain which Mr. Sanchez broke as he hopped over a fence, the defense asked the court to lower the cost from $1,200 (the cost of replacing the fountain) to $100 (the worth of the fountain at the time of incident).
The judge stated that he would be interested in entertaining the matter of restitution after receiving documentation, pictures and receipts. Then he asked for the People to make their argument against the defense’s lists of demands.
The People explained that, because the defendant went through multiple people’s backyards and because of his criminal record, he has proven himself to be a danger to the community, and so they asked for 330 consecutive days in jail, along with three years of supervised probation.
Additionally, the People agreed to a potential compromise involving restitution.
Judge McAdam ruled that, during the trial, he did not find the defendant’s testimony credible and he does believe that Mr. Sanchez is a potential danger to the community. The three years of supervised formal probation would hold, along with 180 consecutive days in jail. Discussion of the terms of probation was set to resume later in the day at 1:30pm.
