Hope Sykes arrested 1/20/2010

[Baznme]

well Tommy and Misty keep saying they not going to do prison.

Does this mean Hope going to the big girl house?

Tommy and Misty can preach all day long about what they're not gonna do but when the judge speaks, they WILL do as he/she says, like it or not.

 

[Kimster]

I don't think we'll see any more at all on Hope. The case is completed and she is entitled to whatever privacy any other sentenced criminal gets. I would think the sunshine law no longer applies as she has been sentenced.

So where's the doc dump! Bring it on!!! :woohoo:

 

[Zoe Bogart]

I am thrilled at the [unusual person's] sentence. The drugs she helped sell or score could have killed someone's kid.

THAT's why drug traffickers are seeing tough sentences in Florida. People are saying Hope's sentence seems harsh for a young person, but trafficking is a crime, and that crime wrecks lives and kills people.

 

[raisincharlie]

Yes she (all inmates) will have to work in prison at $5.00 a day to pay on her fine, (This is in the State of Florida) they do not take monies given to you from outside sources.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of this system and how it works.

This trafficking is a whole ball game to itself there in FL, looks like it is being taken very seriously. I am glad, these drugs kill too many people.

Looks to me Ron, Misty and Tommy are really in a very bad spot and will be for a very long time. Hoping this sentence will encourage Tommy to keep talking, truthfully.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

In the grand scheme of things, with some of them, I don't think it's going to matter what their sentences are going to be for the drug charges since they will probably be up on murder charges and could very well get the death penalty. Just my opinion.

That's what I'm thinking, too.

 

[Kimster]

Hope's been in front of a judge four times within the past year and has used the no contest before. She knows darn well what that means.

She HAS? Is there a link to her other sentences? I'm curious to see if they were light and that's why she thought she'd get away with it this time.

My gosh, she's awful young to have been in court this many times. She has one hardened heart.

 

[Phoenixfla]

I think they should take this on the road as a comedy routine when its all over.

 

[Muffet]

Thank you, TA. Regarding the parts I bolded, maybe we can take from this that LE and the judge are on the same page, and LE isn't concerned about getting RC, MC, or TC to talk in exchange for a plea deal of their own at this point.

It would appear that TC already has, so he might be a little nervous today.

I am confused by this talk of a plea deal. Wouldn't it be worse to be convicted of aiding in the death of a person or disposal of a body? Why would they give up information. They surely would not offer them no prison time, would they? Just doesn't make sense to me. But, maybe I am missing something that has been reported.

It depends on his alternatives:

I don't doubt that he would prefer not to admit any role or knowledge at all, which is a big reason why he didn't rat on anyone before. But now he's already in jail, and LE made it clear they were going to use pressure to get them to talk so they could put away those responsible for Haleigh's death.

If they suspected that he only abetted after the fact, they'd probably see him as their best person to plea with.

If they were threatening him with a max sentence of decades in prison for the drug charges, or telling him he could go down for murder, or telling (or lying to) him about things Misty was accusing him of, then, if all he did was help hide the evidence after the fact, he might agree to tell all he knew and in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Throw in the polygraph, and it makes sense to me.

 

[ladonna]

She HAS? Is there a link to her other sentences? I'm curious to see if they were light and that's why she thought she'd get away with it this time.

My gosh, she's awful young to have been in court this many times. She has one hardened heart.

After you agree to the disclaimer, type in Sykes%..All her cases come up. Be sure and use the icon %.

also her mom has a record...Katrinia Belcher

http://www.putnam-fl.com/clk_apps/ext_app_sec/public_disclaimer.php

 

[woodville]

So where's the doc dump! Bring it on!!! :woohoo:

I think we already saw the doc dump.
Exhibit A - undercover drug video
Exhibit B - phone call to momma

 

[raisincharlie]

Proud words, be very careful when you unleash them.

 

[Kimster]

THAT's why drug traffickers are seeing tough sentences in Florida. People are saying Hope's sentence seems harsh for a young person, but trafficking is a crime, and that crime wrecks lives and kills people.

No kidding. In this case, it killed a precious little girl we've all grown to love!

 

[Adrienne37]

The best thing, IMO, for Misty to do is to accept any sort of plea bargain that the state offers her. I believe with the number of counts that she has against her - DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE IS ONLY 18 - she is likely going to serve more time than what Hope was sentenced to today.

As for the brother, he has prior convictions so he is likely going to serve a substantial sentence as is Ronald. The best that all of them could do is to accept whatever plea they are offered and then hope like heck the judge goes along with it. Florida has no mercy on traffickers any longer and sometimes I think they are dealt with worse than murderers are.

 

[lorann]

She HAS? Is there a link to her other sentences? I'm curious to see if they were light and that's why she thought she'd get away with it this time.

My gosh, she's awful young to have been in court this many times. She has one hardened heart.

http://public.pcso.us/jail/history.aspx Three year history, they are all there just put in sykes %hope

 

[Zoe Bogart]

I wonder if it was her attitude or her attorney that caused her to choose her plea. From the pictures, she looks surprised at her sentence!

She wouldn't listen when her mother tried to explain what happened in court in March, thought she was big stuff and knew it all. I'm sure that's how she went to court, thinking she and her character witnesses would sway the judge. When reality hit, it was quite a shock. She thought she was going to make a deal on her terms even though she was told that was not the case. You know teenagers.

 

[1Chump]

Hope is Ronald's cousin. The docket and the news reports say Ron was there as a character witness, but he was not called to testify on her behalf.

He was never going to be a character witness for her. IMO, that was just a ploy to get him out of his cell for the day. There is absolutely no way he was going to get on a stand under oath in a case that he is also a defendant. The prosecution has the right to ask the "character witnesses" questions about the defendant and their behavior/crimes.

I can just see it now "Ron was Hope selling drugs for you or were you selling drugs for Hope?"

 

[Kat]

Still on page 2 reading

Here is the Florida statute on Youthful Offenders: (FYI)

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes...y_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0958/Sec04.HTM

 

[Tinsel]

They set a precedent by Hope's sentencing and playing her videos. MC is now going to see how she looks to others in her videos.

 

[TrialAddict]

The best thing, IMO, for Misty to do is to accept any sort of plea bargain that the state offers her. I believe with the number of counts that she has against her - DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE IS ONLY 18 - she is likely going to serve more time than what Hope was sentenced to today.

As for the brother, he has prior convictions so he is likely going to serve a substantial sentence as is Ronald. The best that all of them could do is to accept whatever plea they are offered and then hope like heck the judge goes along with it. Florida has no mercy on traffickers any longer and sometimes I think they are dealt with worse than murderers are.

Does Ron have any prior convictions for drugs ?

 

[Zoe Bogart]

Could she appeal? I don't see why not.

Could she appeal on grounds of ineffectual counsel? I haven't seen that this attn. did anything that would warrant an appeal on those grounds.

As a poster pointed out back in the thread she was required to initial the paperwork for her plea. She isn't mentally or intellectually challenged (meaning she doesn't appear to be in a psychotic episode or have too low or an IQ to understand) in such a way that would keep her from saying that she does not understand any part of the process and request that it be explained to her.

IMHO what cooked her goose so to speak was the recorded call. No remorse.

I'm sorry if I might read a bit harsh in wording today.

She's like a lot of other criminals thinking she's knows more than anyone else, not listening to anyone else. Add to that the stubborn teenage invincible attitude, and you've got the type of prisoner they see every day entering the prison system. Everyone else was wrong, she was right, no matter how much they tried to tell her otherwise.

Even a trial would have certainly gotten her the minimum, being caught on tape and all.

I agree about the goose. You're NOT being harsh.