“Man involved in fatal crash in 2016 sentenced to three years of probation,” (Herald, June 19). Judge Dondi Osborne said she was reluctant to accept David Lemon’s plea agreement. Lemon is a methamphetamine user and for the past 38 years he has had an extensive criminal history. Yet, Judge Osborne still went along with the recommendation to release this criminal into our community.
Why then did the mother of an 11-year-old, a military wife of 25 years, a woman with a brain tumor who was over-medicated by Axis Health (which was documented to the courts), a woman who never received so much as a speeding ticket, land in jail for one year with 100 hours of community service? Judge Martha Minot received a plea agreement from the district attorney’s office for no jail time. Yet Judge Minot decided that this woman needed to spend a year away from her husband and minor child. This woman was also charged with careless driving causing death. The exact same charge as a known criminal and meth user.
Equal justice under that law? There is no justice in this community when a judge can arbitrarily allow a meth head back on the streets and put a mother and military wife in jail. Judge Minot and Judge Osborne should both be ashamed of themselves – their job is to administer justice and no justice was served in either of these cases.
My sincere condolences to both families that lost loved ones.
Kathy Setka
Durango
