CountyJail.net

Find Pierce County Jail inmates...

Pre-sentencing

Interview with Ryan, Alex, George, John, Diana and Maria

JM: Tell us about the pre-sentencing process:
Ryan: THEY GAVE ME PAPERS WITH FURTHER COURT DATES TO GO TO.
Alex: You could be there for HOURS.
George: VERY SIMPLE( 1,2,3, GET IN THE CAGE YOU ARE DONE)
John: since i have been incarcerated on numerous occassions, i normally know what the sentence will generally be. most if not all of my charges have been theft related, which normally increases my time with every additional theft.
Diana: Quick but I was terrified had to be shackled to other inmates not a good experience at all but I had to sit in a room for about a hour so I got to get away from my cell which was a plus. The judge was nice too I but it's,jail
Maria: Well, at pre-sentencing, my PD told me not to wear any jewelry the next time I came to court. Confused, I asked why. He responded that I'd be going to jail for at least a year and a day! Some attorney, huh? I totally freaked out, and ended up leaving the state.

JM: Did you have police stop by your house for questioning? If not please give us details on how you came to be arrested.
Ryan: NO
Alex: Yes, back in 2004. In November 2006 I answered a summons to appear.
George: YES
John: only once, but that was in centralia
Diana: Fight at my house my name was ran old warrant I had to take care of it was a must I seen the judge had to be expedited from.king county to Pierce county it was so embarrassed because all my neighbors were outside looking as I was taken away in cuffs
Maria: Well, here's what happend: My friend, Becky Culbertson, and I had attended the Puyallup Fair. It was my first time there and we had a great time - she saw to that. Afterwards, she said we had to pick up her son from her ex's house and then mentioned that she had NO milk in the house and we had to stop and get some before we picked him up. I agreed. So she stopped at the Fred Meyer's there in Puyallup and she went in. Five minutes later, she rushes out,gets in the car and peels out. She throws this PURSE at me! yelling at me to go through it. I'm like 'Becky, what the hell?' but she's ignoring me. The next thing you know, the lady comes racing out of the store at top speed, chasing after Becky. She peels out, and we think that's the end of it, but NO! she flags down this random car, says something to the driver through the window and jumps in, and THEY GIVE CHASE! So there we are, racing through downtown Puyallup, running red lights, doing all kind of crazy moves, during high fair traffic. Finally. we lose them. We're soooo relieved. The next day, she totals her car. :( We think it's done, but the lady had gotten her plate number, and gave it to the police, who contacted the car's registered owner, her EX- HUSBAND, who gave Becky up, no questions asked. When the polce went to her house, she blamed the whole thing ON ME! TOLD THEM WHERE I WORKED AND EVEN DREW THEM A MAP SHOWING THEM WHERE MY JOB WAS! So the police show up at my job as a directory assistance operator ("what city, please?") and arrested me on the spot, dragging me out in front of all of my co-workers. I bailed myself out when I got to the jail, and was released on PR (PERSONAL RECOGNIZANCE).

JM: What was court like? Please give as many details as you recall.
Ryan: I COULD HARDLY SAY ANYTHING THE COURT APOINTED ATTORNY SAID EVERYTHING
Alex: Very impersonal. Mostly seemed like a "hurry and get to the next one" thing. You're kept in a holding cell with about 40 other guys. You don't see your "attorney" until you actually walk before the judge. Chances are if it's a court appointed attorney, this will be the first time you've met him/her. There's whispering on both sides - the experience is actually numbing. You're attorney tells you what's happening and you sign some papers. Then it's back to the holding cell to wait until EVERY one has been to court.
George: ONE SIDED I COULDNOT TALK
John: the court appearance itself took all of 5 minutes. its just the waiting to be seen by the judge while you wait in a cramped and crowded room with a few dozen other inmates that whine and cry about their charges that get to you. point blank is if you dont have a private attorney and a little cash, you may have to sit for awhile.
Diana: I couldn't wait to go to court because I knew I was getting out my charges were very old and not violent the judge complimented my hair which I just got done but I was really excited to go out my cell so it was OK to me. Court went good
Maria: Court sucked. It was all long, drawn out hearings, listening to that lady ramble on about what a victim she was and wondering where the hell Becky was. I was NOT having a good time! Becky and I were tried separately, not together. because that's what my lawyer recommended. OH! I forgot to tell you! My parents were out of the country (my dad had recently gotten transferred to Shanghai. China) and weren't around, my older brother, Doug, was in another state, and my little sister, Sharon, had gone to visit him.

JM: What were your original charges? What did you end up being convicted of?
Diana: Felony forgery Attempted forgery was
Maria: The original charges were robbery in the second degree. Even though I didn't do anything or say anything to the lady and Becky and I had very little in common physically, the lady had gone to the judge EVERY DAY for, like, months, (or at least weeks) making sure her squeaky wheel got greased. Since I left the state, and was later returned by the Pierce County offocers from Arkansas, via jet, I was charged with bail jumping as well.

Read about sentencing in the Pierce County Jail