Teens Get Felony Charges in Squirrel Killing

TWO TEENAGE BOYS were charged with felonies after a neighbor reported seeing them shoot squirrels with an air rifle.  Now 19-year-old Craig Mauro and Thomas Morgan face the possibility of joining Florida’s prison population.  There is no chance of mistaken identity; Morgan was caught red-handed by a law officer.  Additionally, Mauro had a marijuana pipe, but no drugs.  That may add years to his sentence if found guilty by a jury.

Unfortunately, most criminal cases against citizens never reach any jury.  Youths such as Mauro and Morgan are usually encouraged to plead guilty to felonies and accept probation.  They will then be required to regularly pay a certain sum of money, or they add violation of probation to their rap sheet.  If they miss a payment, they could then be arrested without trial and serve their sentence for the original charge in the plea deal plus an added sentence connected with violating probation.  Thus, two more young people would be incarcerated without the benefit of trial due to the lack of money.

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Felony charges in squirrel killing

TampaBay.com
November 24, 2008
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/11/men-charged-for.html

LARGO - Two 19-year-olds were charged with felony animal cruelty Sunday after allegedly shooting and killing a squirrel with an air-powered rifle.

Police say a neighbor saw Craig Mauro (top) of Clearwaterand Thomas Morgan (below) of Largo shooting at squirrels Sunday. A police officer responding to the call then saw one of them shoot a squirrel.

Morgan was charged with cruelty to animals and Mauro was charged with drug paraphernalia possession and trespassing in addition to cruelty to animals. The drug charge was for allegedly possessing a marijuana pipe, and the trespassing charge was for allegedly jumping over a neighbor’s fence to retrieve the dead squirrel.

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Many people object strenuously to hunting.  However, even those committed to animal safety might object to these two young men being charged with felonies, which could impact their future employment eligibility.  Animal rights enthusiasts might also disagree with Craig and Thomas facing prison sentences, possibly subjected to abuse from other prisoners and exposure to rampant communicable diseases in overcrowded, unsanitary living conditions.  

Craig and Thomas are non-violent, except to wild squirrels.  Their kind is very sought after among Prison Profiteers.  Non-violent offenders are preferred for prison work projects.  Private prisons use inmates like Craig and Thomas to manufacture marketable items for interstate commerce, such as license plates and small tables like those sold in Wal-Mart. 

If incarcerated, taxpayers will pay around $50,000 annually for each of these young men to join the general inmate population, two-thirds of whom are also non-violent offenders.  Should Craig and Thomas be injured or develop a chronic illness, including mental dysfunctions, their worth to Prison Profiteers increases significantly.  Prisons are the only industry that enjoys increased profits for “damaged goods.”  Incarcerating chronically ill, dying, or mentally ill inmates usually costs taxpayers double or triple, although health care for prisoners is ordinarily substandard. 

Family members of prisoners like those pictured above regularly gather outside prisons petitioning for compassionate release for their dying and acutely mentally ill loved ones.  This is unlikely to happen due to the increased profits they bring.  The picture was used for the article highlighting the issue at the below link:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Throng-of-families-of-dead-by-Dr-B-Cayenne-Bir-081125-470.html

Read about one prisoner’s ordeal at the link below.  Jo Ann’s son Donald entered prison at age 20, like Craig and Thomas might.  While living in an overcrowded California prison, he contracted Hepatitis C and was pushed from a height by tougher inmates.  At 28, Donald is now chronically ill but denied medical care.  His mother requests help for her son.  Donald's information is at this link:

SICK AND IMPRISONED; DEPRIVED OF CARE; HELP REQUESTED
http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=17280&pst=804730

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=17280&pst=804192

When high government officials such as vice presidents, attorney generals, Washington legislators, judges, and other policy makers become Private Prison Privateers, there is little wonder why mental hospitals and community mental health programs are closing across the country for lack of funding while prison profits soar.  Craig and Thomas would make ideal subjects for the prison industry, which costs taxpayers approximately $185 billion per annum.

BRAIN DEAD INMATE DENIED EARLY RELEASE
http://my.nowpublic.com/health/brain-dead-inmate-denied-early-release

America incarcerates by far more people than any other nation on earth.  Prison Profiteers lobby lawmakers to increase their stock of human commodities by lobbying for tougher sentencing provisions such as three-strikes laws, mandatory sentencing restrictions, and upgrading misdemeanors to felonies.  Closing mental hospitals, reducing the psychiatric services in communities, and laws prohibiting enforced treatment for acute mental patients also help keep private prisons well stocked, at a staggering cost to taxpayers.  Compare the cost of a $40 shot once a month to treat schizophrenia on an outpatient basis to $150,000 per year to incarcerate a patient for life after she kills her children or yours.

A film at this link shows how mental patients fare in prison:

Trapped: Mental Illness in America’s Prisons

Since young Craig and Thomas enjoy hunting, they should plan to rent a helicopter and pilot to fly over the beautiful Alaskan wilderness and shoot mother bears and cubs like Governor Palin.  That would be acceptable to law enforcement and may save them from the horrible fate that Jo Ann’s son now suffers.

Below is the language of two petitions being circulated by Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill ("AIMI"), a human rights organization that is gaining increasing membership on the Internet, including Care2, Ellen DeGeneres Community Network, and Prison Hearts.  The comments by petitioners can be viewed without signing the petitions by opening links and selecting View Signatures.

 
“ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING.” 

Restore justice to our justice system.  Fight government corruption!

1.         PETITION TO END PRIVATE PRISONS:

            http://www.petitiononline.com/gufree2/petition.html


2.         PETITION FOR AN INVESTIGATION into the death of a handicapped American, held under secret arrest until death - no records, no investigation to date – five years later.  

            http://www.petitiononline.com/Neal/petition.html

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Mary Neal

Website:  http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com

Author's page http://www.care2.com/c2c/people/profile.html?pid=513396753

AIMI:  http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/AIMI 


Articles:  http://my.nowpublic.com/search?fulltext=1&type=story&keys=mary+neal .