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   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco Superior Court judge went through   
   with his plea offer Thursday for a serial car burglar, ordering him   
   released from jail after less than four months. San Francisco DA Brooke   
   Jenkins took this case very seriously. Instead of the General Felonies   
   Unit, she assigned this to a major crimes prosecutor and pushed for a two-   
   year state prison sentence. It didn't work.   
      
   Unlike judges in past hearings for repeat car burglar Robert Sonza, San   
   Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce E. Chan denied our request for a   
   camera in the courtroom at Thursday's hearing - for video or still   
   pictures. And he went through with his offer. In exchange for guilty pleas   
   to five felonies -- Receiving Stolen Property, Accessory After the Fact,   
   Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Concealed Firearm in a Vehicle,   
   Possession of Ammunition - Sonza will be released after less than four   
   months in county jail.   
      
   RELATED: Serial car burglar to receive plea deal despite San Francisco   
   prosecutors' objections   
      
   Dan Noyes: "Sylvia, with Sonza's history of reoffending, how is this   
   proper?"   
   Sylvia Nguyen: "I said what I had to say on the record."   
      
   The I-Team's Dan Noyes tried to discuss the case with Sonza's public   
   defender, Sylvia Nguyen. He's been on probation several times and   
   reoffended. I wanted to ask what will be different this time.   
      
   Noyes: "People are kind of upset what's happening here. How is this proper   
   given his history of reoffending?"   
   Nguyen: "I think the court made a very clear record."   
   Noyes: "Which was what?"   
   Nguyen: "The court made a very clear record. You were in there. We made a   
   clear record as well, so, thank you."   
   Noyes: "Is that all you have to say?"   
   Nguyen: "That's all I have to say. Thank you."   
      
   EXCLUSIVE: Repeat SF car burglar rearrested month after being released   
   from jail by judge   
      
   As part of the plea offer, Robert Sonza had to admit a string of felonies   
   over the years - starting with domestic violence in 2019, several burglary   
   convictions, evading an officer, and resisting arrest. Sonza also had to   
   admit he "was on probation... when the crime was committed" and that his   
   "prior performance on probation... was unsatisfactory."   
      
   But during Thursday's hearing, Judge Chan said, "It's important to be   
   smart on crime, not just tough on crime."   
      
   He went against the Adult Probation Department presentence report that   
   called for state prison time and ordered Sonza to be released on   
   probation. As part of the judge's plan, he promised to personally monitor   
   Sonza's progress and if he reoffends, Sonza will face a maximum sentence   
   of three years, eight months in state prison.   
      
   San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told us, "That's this case,   
   and I made my commitment after his earlier cases that we would make sure   
   that we held him accountable."   
      
   Jenkins is growing more vocal about what she sees as failures in the   
   criminal justice system, saying, "I think we have a culture at the Hall of   
   Justice here in San Francisco of judges viewing property crime as less   
   significant, finding opportunities to not hear trials and to send people   
   back out to sadly use the courthouse as a revolving door."   
      
   The judge on this case is Bruce E. Chan.   
      
   He's 68 years old, did his undergrad at Stanford, law school at UC Davis,   
   worked as a San Francisco Public Defender for 18 years, before Governor   
   Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to the bench in 2009. He's been re-   
   elected twice; his current term expires in 2029.   
      
   https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-judge-lets-serial-car-burglar-   
   jail-after-less-4-months/15743359/   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)