now the question is did the people save money on housing an inmate for 20 years and also get taxes from his job or did he do God knows what to God knows who and get away with those things for all those years
I’m suspecting the former.
I think about the times I almost got caught doing stupid things when I was a kid. If I’d gotten caught it would have changed my life. And not in the good way.
That’s the problem with our penal system and how we treat people. I’m not saying I have a better idea - yet - but sometimes people don’t fit the mold. They actually grow up. Looks like it’s possible this guy did. I’m also thinking there should be a statute of limitations on this sort of thing. Say, 30 years. Just thinking out loud.
Here's the whole story:
Authorities say Freshwaters was the driver of a vehicle involved in a car vs. pedestrian accident which resulted in a fatality in July 1957. Freshwaters pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to one to 20 years in prison.
Initially, Freshwaters’ sentence was suspended, and he was given probation for five years. Then on February 1959, he was found guilty of violating his probation, and his original sentence was imposed.
Freshwater served time at the infamous Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, but authorities say he was able to earn the trust of prison officials and was moved to the Sandusky Honor Farm to finish his sentence.
Back in 1959 laws were a hell of a lot different and too many people never had the monies to hire quality defense attorneys or pay off the presiding judge in his back chamber during a called recess.
The fact that he plead guilty to "voluntary manslaughter" as a result of a vehicle killing a pedestrian accident and then receiving a 1 - 20 year sentence which is then suspended and turned into a 5 year probation tells me this was a case of the local "Boss Hog" rural cop and the county prosecutor making a name for themselves.
Who knows what the probation violation was, it was likely something as simple as being pulled over for drunk driving or getting into a bar fight.
Whatever the reason, there are certainly bigger fish to fry and this guy has no criminal history since then and he should be allowed to spend his remaining days in retirement........