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Pre-sentencing

Interview with Sarah, Drew and Paul

JM: Tell us about the pre-sentencing process:
Sarah: I had a warrant for a crime I had committed. They did come to my home and executed a search warrant. I was arrested at this time and taken to the city jail, and after about 14 hours I was taken to Hidalgo.
Drew: The pre-sentencing process is as follows I got arrested on the morning of October, third 2008 I went to the hidalgo county jail were I was givin a bond of $ 50,000 I went to a bond reduction hearing in November the day before thanksgiving I got out went to court in January pled guilty
Paul: i was held in hidalgo county jail for four months, was woken up at around six a.m. to prepare the hundreds of inmates for court. We then piled into a county jail van and were taken to the hidalgo county courthouse where i sat almost all the day to be given a five year sentance.

JM: Did you have police stop by your house for questioning? If not please give us details on how you came to be arrested.
Sarah: Yes- see above.
Drew: Well it really is not going to take fifty words to explain how I got arrested my charge of robbery was pretty bad and it was a store right down the street from my house so the store clerk knew who I was the sheriff came to the house in the morning and arrested me
Paul: No, I was on probation from another charge i got in 2008 and my probation was revoked for dirty urine tests and another possesion charge. I was picked up at the dollar movies for posession of marijauna the day before i was supposed to turn myself in

JM: What was court like? Please give as many details as you recall.
Sarah: Since I had a felony case, it was processed separately from misdemeanor. I waited 77 days before my first appearance on the felony, but most people wait 90 days on a felony. I had my misdemeanor court before the felony court. This was in a different court room with a different judge. I went to court after 54 days on my misdemeanor.
Drew: Court to me was bullshit, just like , the , rest of the corrupt people down here. I went to court we left at like six in tha morning wait in tha holding cell till they call us for court than we get shackled up and on to court that's all
Paul: Court was horrible, over 100 men locked into two tiny cells in the basement of the courthouse. so many men that most had to stand or lay on the floor. The court process can last all day depending on if u sign or not. Once u have been called to your court room u r put into shackles and escorted to the court room where either your attorny or court appointed attorny talk with u and ask what it is your wanting to do and what the D.A. is looking at offering u. After you are escorted back downstairs where they give u one meal and u sit there until every single person has gone to court and signed there papers. Like i said its an all day process that can last until court house closes at five

JM: What were your original charges? What did you end up being convicted of?
Sarah: Original: 2 counts misdemeanor theft, 3 counts theft over $10,000 and theft of an elderly. I am not currently convicted. I plead out to deferred adjudicated probation. It just means I've been arrested but not convicted as long as I complete my probation.
Drew: My original charge was robbery a nd it was downgraded to simple robbery
Paul: My original charge was in 2008 for posession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. I signed ten years probation and two months later was charged with theft of a person. I was given 10 years shock probation, completed the shock probation and after release was revoked from probation for dirty urine tests and sentanced to five years tdcj.

Read about sentencing in the Hidalgo County Jail