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MarshallSvc
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Post subject: Official take on cleared Philadelphia warrants  Posted: Thu 18 Nov 2010 06:33 |
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Joined: Sun 18 May 2008 20:26
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Location: Pennsylvanaia
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Posted on Thu, Nov. 18, 2010
Daniel Rubin: Article belies official take on cleared Phila. warrants
By Daniel Rubin
Inquirer Columnist
How is it that reporters armed with a LexisNexis account to search public records could track down a fugitive whose location remained a mystery to the Philadelphia warrant squad?
For the last year, Craig R. McCoy, Nancy Phillips, and Dylan Purcell have been chronicling the chaos of the Philadelphia courts, and Sunday's piece - about the 19,400 bail jumpers written off the books like bad loans - included this bewildering passage:
"Another fugitive, Alfred Carter, who fled in 1989 before he was sentenced for a strong-arm robbery, is now living in Washington.
"His conviction was set aside in an attack in which he admitted he left his victim dazed, weeping, and bleeding on a sidewalk in West Philadelphia.
" 'That's good,' said Carter, 60. 'I'm glad it's dropped.' "
Good for him. Bad for everyone else. Part of Carter's good fortune is owed to the fact that there are 55 members of the court's warrant squad, but each is responsible for tracking down about 850 of the city's 47,000 fugitives.
Only Newark, N.J., has so high a rate of bail jumpers.
At the direction of the state Supreme Court, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office identified about 19,400 long-gone defendants over the last several months, and quietly made them unwanted.
Victims of these crimes learned of the judicial undoing from the newspaper. Ron Castille, Pennsylvania's chief justice, explained that wiping out the old warrants would let the system concentrate on more serious cases.
"You're never going to find these people," he said. "And if you do, are you going to prosecute them? The answer is no."
District Attorney Seth Williams told the reporters that none of the cases involved serious physical harm to the victims.
Both statements are debatable.
Among the ex-fugitives are three people accused of robbery, 55 accused of aggravated assault, 120 accused of sex offenses, 403 accused of carrying illegal guns, and 3,964 accused of dealing drugs.
One beneficiary of the judicial dispensation is Francisco Sanchez. The reporters interviewed a woman who accused him of forcing his way into her Kensington home 23 years ago, slapping her, then forcing her to perform oral sex.
"I wished all my life that they would catch him," she said.
How do these fugitives deserve a break? Wouldn't information about their flight be useful to police officers who happen upon them while on the beat?
There's no way to know if police in Washington knew that Alfred Carter was on the run from Philadelphia, but it's unlikely. During hearings held this spring by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, court officials here disclosed that computer glitches prevented Philadelphia police from automatically entering the names of fugitives into a national database.
Only the names of a few hundred fugitives were put in the system - those facing charges for extraditable offenses, Specter's subcommittee reported.
Court officials told Congress in March of their frustration that it would still take months to program the computers to automatically post warrants nationally. A court spokesman told me that this problem finally was fixed Oct. 22.
After Carter's arrest, he posted $200 of the $2,000 bail, then didn't show for his preliminary hearing, so the judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
Philadelphia since 1974 has used a deposit system where the accused put up 10 percent of their bail, and owe the rest if they fail to appear. But until this year, the courts never went after the remaining 90 percent - an amount that totaled an eye-popping $1 billion.
Three times, Carter failed to appear for his court hearings, including his sentencing. In 1989 a judge entered a $2,018 judgment against him.
On Tuesday, court officials added a new entry to his file: Now that they know where to find him, they want their money. At least it's something.
Contact Daniel Rubin at 215-854-5917 or drubin@phillynews.com.Luke/Brian you need to call this guy.
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speezack
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Post subject: Re: Official take on cleared Philadelphia warrants Posted: Thu 18 Nov 2010 06:53 |
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Joined: Fri 02 Mar 2007 10:51
Posts: 5055
Location: South Central Virginia
FRN Agency ID #: 1474
Experience: More than 10 years
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Quote: Philadelphia since 1974 has used a deposit system where the accused put up 10 percent of their bail, and owe the rest if they fail to appear. But until this year, the courts never went after the remaining 90 percent - an amount that totaled an eye-popping $1 billion. Is this an opportunity or what???? forget the perp... go after the money... do you think the courts would be interested in some sort of deal.... we find the defendants, go after the owed money... and split whatever is recovered... 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing... some of you entrepreneurs comment on this............... how bout it Scott.... ? ... and you question whether it is about justice or the money... I think this thread answers that question rather well. Justice? What justice... show me the money... the hell with justice... obviously that is what the system is always interested in....
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Mdbtyhtr
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Post subject: Re: Official take on cleared Philadelphia warrants Posted: Thu 18 Nov 2010 10:30 |
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Joined: Thu 06 Jul 2006 14:22
Posts: 3982
Location: Maryland and Virginia
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Experience: More than 10 years
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No Comment...
Scott
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