01-29-2012, 12:10 PM
Is there some reason Mr. Roth can't post for himself? I'm not saying that to be snide, but I would like to address my questions to the candidate, rather than Rob, who posted for him.
My biggest question as someone who has been very concerned about crime on the Big Island and active in Neighborhood Watch is this:
Is Mr. Roth prepared to vigorously prosecute every serious criminal case regardless of the accused's connections, position, or family protestations of hardship, difficult past, etc. I ask this because I have seen plea bargains that I consider to be excessive in both number and leniency. There has been a tendency for circular blaming and finger pointing among the police, the prosecutors, and the judges. I have communicated with all three, and the circle goes something like this: The police blame the prosecutors for not making a good case or not being aggressive enough. The prosecutors blame some unspecified and unsanctioned fault in the evidence provided by the police. The judges just shrug and say, "What can I do with this?" while refusing to exercise their right to reject the plea bargains that result from this mess as against the interest of justice.
So Mr. Roth, are you ready to break the cycle? All that stuff about domestic violence, drug nuissance, and traffic safety is nice, but what about high ranking Fire Department officers (and others) who kill innocent people while DUI, leave the scene, lie about it, blame someone else, and then get to serve a very light sentence on weekends? What about that?
My biggest question as someone who has been very concerned about crime on the Big Island and active in Neighborhood Watch is this:
Is Mr. Roth prepared to vigorously prosecute every serious criminal case regardless of the accused's connections, position, or family protestations of hardship, difficult past, etc. I ask this because I have seen plea bargains that I consider to be excessive in both number and leniency. There has been a tendency for circular blaming and finger pointing among the police, the prosecutors, and the judges. I have communicated with all three, and the circle goes something like this: The police blame the prosecutors for not making a good case or not being aggressive enough. The prosecutors blame some unspecified and unsanctioned fault in the evidence provided by the police. The judges just shrug and say, "What can I do with this?" while refusing to exercise their right to reject the plea bargains that result from this mess as against the interest of justice.
So Mr. Roth, are you ready to break the cycle? All that stuff about domestic violence, drug nuissance, and traffic safety is nice, but what about high ranking Fire Department officers (and others) who kill innocent people while DUI, leave the scene, lie about it, blame someone else, and then get to serve a very light sentence on weekends? What about that?