Hope Sykes arrested 1/20/2010

[Muffet]

I just wish we could have such a war on child abuse with mandatory minimums.

 

[Searchfortruth]

I really want to see what kind of time the others get on these charges. I hope their sentence is atleast the mandatory minimum, although I think it should be more, given the multiple charges on Ron and Misty. We'll see...

 

[dodie20]

ITA!!! and I don't think a great injustice was done to Hope by her sentence, I think she deserved it, and I think molesters/rapist, and murders deserve more. I don't think anything is accomplished by trying to protest Hope's sentence, IMO she deserved what she got. She had been in and out of the jail system ....and she's only 19 ..... how many times have we looked at the booking log and thought ...... oh he/she is back AGAIN!?!?!

I think the anger should be focused on what is broken in the justice system, like molesters getting so little time, not on the amount of time Hope got.

She was not going to change, we heard the call with her mom, she didn't want "bootcamp" and/or a program, I think jail is the best place for her right now.

Be careful what you wish for.

~jmo of course :angel:

accepting Hope's sentence as just & focusing the anger on what is broken doesn't help. Judges stick it to the people they want to stick it to & don't stick it to the ones they don't want to stick it to. Even if her sentence was partly due to her lack of cooperation in the Haleigh case, well, that's not good enough, because a judge is the reason that Haleigh was in that situation. That's what's broken-putting kids in unsafe homes & surrounding them with unsafe adults. A little reading & a few home visits should've taken care of that. So no, Hope's drug sentence doesn't make me feel better.

 

[Amster]

Hope is out of control....she's right where she needs to be. My law abiding relatives in Florida are thankful.

 

[rotterdam]

Originally Posted by grandmaj

What I find interesting are the charges: One Trafficing Drugs, One possess drugs, Two Intent to Sell, Mfg or Deliver, Two Shoplifting Selling Drugs was not new for her only difference the last time was prescription drugs. Wonder what she did before she turned 18??

1/20/2010

893.135-1c1 DRUGS-TRAFFIC 4 GRAMS LESS 30 KG OTHER CNTRL SUBST

1/3/2010

893.13-6a DRUGS-POSSESS CNTRL SUB WO PRESCRIPTION

7/29/2009

893.13-1a2 MARIJUANA-POSSESS WITH INTENT TO SELL MFG OR DELIVER 893.147-1 NARCOTIC EQUIP-POSSESS AND OR USE M 812.015-2 LARC PETIT FROM TRANSIT AGENCY 2ND OR SUBSQ OFF
810.08-2b TRESPASSING OCCUPIED STRUCTURE OR CONVEYANCE

6/26/2009

893.13-1a2 MARIJUANA-POSSESS WITH INTENT TO SELL MFG OR DELIVER
893.147-1 NARCOTIC EQUIP-POSSESS AND OR USE


812.015-2 SHOPLIFTING PETIT FROM MERCHANT 2ND OR SUBSQ OFF M
810.08-2b TRESPASSING OCCUPIED STRUCTURE OR CONVEYANCE

This was a barely 19 year old girl living the life of drugs. I believe the judge got it right.

I agree with you up to a point.
But why are not those teenagers yanked off the streets earlier. And put in some kind of rehabilitation/detox program away from their often beyond help toxic adult family members and vocationally trained/educated with a chance for a decent job/future.
Guess available funds is the bottom line. But long time incarceration surely must be more expensive.

 

[dodie20]

& another thing about Hope's sentence. It makes me feel terrible to see A young teenaged girl in this kind of trouble. I'm sorry, but I just didn't see the evidence that Hope was trafficking. I want to see proof that this undercover cop wasn't their only trafficking customer. Were they trafficking to others? maybe legally they didn't have to be, but then that makes me wonder if they would've been, without his prompting. another thing about Hope's sentence. It makes me feel terrible to see a young teenaged girl in this kind of trouble. Yeah, she has a bad attitude, but so what...I'd be surprised if she didn't. There should be some hope for someone her age, & I really think she should have been given a chance to go through the boot camp, rehab program. Maybe she would've come out with a better attitude. & if the program wasn't successful, then send her to jail.

 

[dodie20]

& if a judge can lock Hope up for her petty part in this crime, why couldn't one lock Ronald up for one his priors. I'll tell you why. He didn't go in there with a bad attitude. He said exactly what the judge wanted to hear. & really, these judges should learn to see through the b.s. & have thicker skins when they do run across an attitude like Hope's.

 

[rotterdam]

& another thing about Hope's sentence. It makes me feel terrible to see A young teenaged girl in this kind of trouble. I'm sorry, but I just didn't see the evidence that Hope was trafficking. I want to see proof that this undercover cop wasn't their only trafficking customer. Were they trafficking to others? maybe legally they didn't have to be, but then that makes me wonder if they would've been, without his prompting. another thing about Hope's sentence. It makes me feel terrible to see a young teenaged girl in this kind of trouble. Yeah, she has a bad attitude, but so what...I'd be surprised if she didn't. There should be some hope for someone her age, & I really think she should have been given a chance to go through the boot camp, rehab program. Maybe she would've come out with a better attitude. & if the program wasn't successful, then send her to jail.

I agree with you. Was Hope ever in a previous rehabilitation/juvenile/detox program before and it failed??? Was this her first prison sentence? Not ready to give up on teenagers this fast. Was this sentence just a PR/political move to make the county look tough. I hope, the attorney will appeal if this sentence is way outside statistical deviation control points of previous similar cases. May be an election is forth coming?

 

[B4igo2it]

How can anyone be soft on drug offenses after reading debs post 361 - this shows an increase and the study was only through 2007 - I could imagine these numbers to continue increasing and it is quite obvious (to me) that drug use is "out of control"

and what is even more frightening, these are ONLY the statistics for FLORIDA - this is terrible!

Let Hope's sentence be fair warning to others. The advantage to her relationship to RC is that society gets to learn of the punishment/sentencing for a drug trafficing charge. Too often people learn of the arrest and not the outcome.

 

[Crosby87]

& if a judge can lock Hope up for her petty part in this crime, why couldn't one lock Ronald up for one his priors. I'll tell you why. He didn't go in there with a bad attitude. He said exactly what the judge wanted to hear. & really, these judges should learn to see through the b.s. & have thicker skins when they do run across an attitude like Hope's.

I believe the time Hope spent alone in jail separated from her druggie friends enabled her to come to her senses before she appeared before the Judge. Two weeks before Hope was arrested for drug trafficking, she was arrested for drug possession, and when she was released on her own recognizance, she slipped right back into the drug scene. After she hit bottom and spent time apart from her drug-dealing cousin Ronald, she was filled with hope and I believe she was a different person, determined to stay out of trouble and make something out of herself. Based on what Hope said in Court, "I let drugs control my life, I let my family down. I know I messed up. I want help. I don't want to live this life no more. I want to get a GED, go to college and become a physical therapist" MO is Hope DID NOT have a bad attitude when she appeared before the Judge for sentencing.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/2...fficking&tc=ar

 

[Searchfortruth]

How can anyone be soft on drug offenses after reading debs post 361 - this shows an increase and the study was only through 2007 - I could imagine these numbers to continue increasing and it is quite obvious (to me) that drug use is "out of control"

and what is even more frightening, these are ONLY the statistics for FLORIDA - this is terrible!

Let Hope's sentence be fair warning to others. The advantage to her relationship to RC is that society gets to learn of the punishment/sentencing for a drug trafficing charge. Too often people learn of the arrest and not the outcome.

BBM.

No doubt drugs are out of control, they have been out of control for many years now. Florida has suffered with prescription drug abuse and you would think they would sentence offenders harshly across the board. Not the case. I didn't have to look hard at all to find these few cases I will link below. In fact, I couldn't find one female in a Florida prison charged with Hydrocodone trafficking (in the amount Hope dealt) that was serving 15 years. If anyone can find one please let me know.

If Hope's sentence is a real fair warning to others that Florida is getting tough on this, then that's fine. Only time will tell if this is a singular incident or a sign of times to come.

The few links below are inmates in FL that have been convicted of various drug crimes, some trafficking in Heroin. Scroll down to see what they are serving their time for and how much time they are serving (as for time serving, look to the right of their pic and subtract enter date from release date). The time beside each charge is not a total, as often these are stacked.

2 Heroin trafficking charges, 2 Sale/Manufacture.Delivery of Meth and child neglect. This inmate is serving 3 years...it will be less with good time.

http://dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=71&From=list&SessionID=240802581

1 Trafficking Heroin charge, 3 possession of controlled substance, 1 cocaine possession. This inmate is serving 3 years. If she has good time she'll be out in less than that.

http://dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=3410&From=list&SessionID=240802516

2 Trafficking heroin charges, 1 cocaine possession, 1 opiate possession (less than 10 grams). This inmate is serving 3 years, with good time she'll be out in less than that.

http://dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=48&From=list&SessionID=240792390

 

[grammieto5]

I think the real issue here is that we all know she is collateral damage to the Ron and Misty show. Anyone that has followed the scanner thread for five minutes or watched the booking website for Putnam KNOWS that they are not busting every petty drug transaction and booking them on trafficking charges.

She did commit the crime. She did make bad decisions before hand and she made really ignorant comments on tape that bit her in the *advertiser censored* with the judge, but we all know if she wasn't Ron's cousin and she wasn't with Misty that night she would not be getting ready to do a fifteen year sentence.

Donna has a private attorney right? One that is not being paid by the state? I highly doubt you will see her convicted of trafficking. She will get the charge down to something else that doesn't have a minimum or she will beg the court to let her go to treatment for a deferred prosecution.

No one in their right mind takes a plea that involves a trafficking charge in Florida. Even the defense attorney websites in the area all say the first thing they do in a trafficking case is try to get it changed to a possession charge. That in and of itself is considered a victory.

Legally what happened to Hope is fair and just and exactly what the law the local voters put in place calls for. I have major issues with cases that I think only poor and uneducated citizens would be victims of. When they hauled Tommy in on the gun the charge I thought they were taking advantage of him being poor and dumb. When Lisa was extradited I felt the same way. Of course part of me says whatever it takes to break the case, but when I step back and know a more affluent and educated citizen would NEVER be hauled in on those charges because an hourly attorney would have them out in a matter of hours it is hard for me to stomach.

And I think Hope is an absolute victim of not being educated enough to defend herself and not affluent enough to hire an attorney.

But surely educated enough to know what she was doing was wrong.

 

[bessie]

Originally Posted by grandmaj

What I find interesting are the charges: One Trafficing Drugs, One possess drugs, Two Intent to Sell, Mfg or Deliver, Two Shoplifting Selling Drugs was not new for her only difference the last time was prescription drugs. Wonder what she did before she turned 18??

1/20/2010

893.135-1c1 DRUGS-TRAFFIC 4 GRAMS LESS 30 KG OTHER CNTRL SUBST

1/3/2010

893.13-6a DRUGS-POSSESS CNTRL SUB WO PRESCRIPTION

7/29/2009

893.13-1a2 MARIJUANA-POSSESS WITH INTENT TO SELL MFG OR DELIVER 893.147-1 NARCOTIC EQUIP-POSSESS AND OR USE M 812.015-2 LARC PETIT FROM TRANSIT AGENCY 2ND OR SUBSQ OFF
810.08-2b TRESPASSING OCCUPIED STRUCTURE OR CONVEYANCE

6/26/2009

893.13-1a2 MARIJUANA-POSSESS WITH INTENT TO SELL MFG OR DELIVER
893.147-1 NARCOTIC EQUIP-POSSESS AND OR USE


812.015-2 SHOPLIFTING PETIT FROM MERCHANT 2ND OR SUBSQ OFF M
810.08-2b TRESPASSING OCCUPIED STRUCTURE OR CONVEYANCE

This was a barely 19 year old girl living the life of drugs. I believe the judge got it right.

Add another charge for trafficking on 01/13/10. The list above is from her booking data. In addition to the trafficking charge on 01/20/10, the date of her arrest, she was charged for the incident on 01/13/10 (trafficking +4 gms < 28gms of hydrocodone). The cases were later consolidated. She was also named as a suspect in the 01/12/10 complaint (trafficking 4+ gms <14 gms) but no warrant was issued.

Snipped from the docket

Defendant SYKES, HOPE A

2010-01-21 COMPLAINT - PCSO DET. T CAMPBELL (1/13/10) 2010-01-211BOOKING NUMBER: N/A

2010-01-21 TRAFFICKING IN HYDROCODONE MORE THAN 14 GRAMS LESS 2010-01-211THAN 28 GRAMS

2010-01-21 WARRANT ISSUED - BOND SET AT $150.000.00

2010-01-22 ARREST REPORT: TRAFFICKING IN HYDROCODONE (1/20/10)

2010-01-22 DEFENDANT PRESENT FOR FIRST APPEARANCE HRG

2010-01-22 ADJ INS P D APPOINTED AT FIRST APPEARANCE HEARING

2010-01-22 SUFFICIENT PROBABLE CAUSE FOUND

2010-01-22 $150,000.00 SECURED BOND SET

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

 

[B4igo2it]

Searchfortruth: I find that totally shocking! Especially the one with 2 charges of heroin ...
I understand your point about Hope. I am assuming these individuals (your examples) had other charges as well to end up incarcerated. To me that would be a good argument for Hope's atty in filing her appeal.

 

[faefrost]

I agree with you. Was Hope ever in a previous rehabilitation/juvenile/detox program before and it failed??? Was this her first prison sentence? Not ready to give up on teenagers this fast. Was this sentence just a PR/political move to make the county look tough. I hope, the attorney will appeal if this sentence is way outside statistical deviation control points of previous similar cases. May be an election is forth coming?

This was her third intent to sell arrest within 7 months. This was a mandatory minimum sentance. She is not a "teenager" for the period of all 5 of her arrests she was a legal adult responsible for her own actions. Looking at the above posts it is rather obvious she caught a break for the first arrest. Shoplifting and trespass in an occupied structure. In other words she was banged for burglary but the SA went a little easy on her that time. THAT was her one shot that would be viewed as a youthful indiscretion. Neither the state, the county nor any branch of government, Law Enforcement or the general public has any obligation to offer provide or mandate any sort of counciling, rehab, rehabilitation. That is a judgement call by that public official we do in fact call "the Judge". Now that recording of her telling her mother that she outright lied to the judges face probably did not to much to give him the impression that he should apply his discretion in this case. Judicial discretion is just that. Discretion. It should be used rarely and only when the judge feels that there is a clear and compelling reason to do so and take a chance on an individual. Judges discretion, particularly in the lessening of charges or sentancing should not be the norm.

You state that she should challenge appeal on the basis of statistical deviation, or if her sentance was outside the norm. It was outside the norm for the charges she faced and pled no contest to. It was halved. And dropped to the absolute minimum that sentancing rules would allow the judge to go on the charges. Yes he could have used his special powers of discretion to give her a pass into a youthful offender program. But his obligation in this regard is to the people of Florida, not to her. He is not a social services councilor. he is a criminal court judge. There is nothing that he saw in her record or in the testimony given to make him think that she would be a worthwhile investment in his judicial discretion, nor not continue to be an ongoing problem to the citizens of Florida.

Now she may have been poorly served by her lawyer. Although based on that phone call with her mother, it sounds more like she simply opted to not pay any attention to him until it was too late, and listen to "jailhouse lawyers", relatives, and others with conflicting interests rather than her own lawyer. Once again. She is a legal adult. She has the right to ignore her lawyer. The judicial system is not a set of training wheels for life.

 

[snowshuze]

This was her third intent to sell arrest within 7 months. This was a mandatory minimum sentance. She is not a "teenager" for the period of all 5 of her arrests she was a legal adult responsible for her own actions. Looking at the above posts it is rather obvious she caught a break for the first arrest. Shoplifting and trespass in an occupied structure. In other words she was banged for burglary but the SA went a little easy on her that time. THAT was her one shot that would be viewed as a youthful indiscretion. Neither the state, the county nor any branch of government, Law Enforcement or the general public has any obligation to offer provide or mandate any sort of counciling, rehab, rehabilitation. That is a judgement call by that public official we do in fact call "the Judge". Now that recording of her telling her mother that she outright lied to the judges face probably did not to much to give him the impression that he should apply his discretion in this case. Judicial discretion is just that. Discretion. It should be used rarely and only when the judge feels that there is a clear and compelling reason to do so and take a chance on an individual. Judges discretion, particularly in the lessening of charges or sentancing should not be the norm.

You state that she should challenge appeal on the basis of statistical deviation, or if her sentance was outside the norm. It was outside the norm for the charges she faced and pled no contest to. It was halved. And dropped to the absolute minimum that sentancing rules would allow the judge to go on the charges. Yes he could have used his special powers of discretion to give her a pass into a youthful offender program. But his obligation in this regard is to the people of Florida, not to her. He is not a social services councilor. he is a criminal court judge. There is nothing that he saw in her record or in the testimony given to make him think that she would be a worthwhile investment in his judicial discretion, nor not continue to be an ongoing problem to the citizens of Florida.

Now she may have been poorly served by her lawyer. Although based on that phone call with her mother, it sounds more like she simply opted to not pay any attention to him until it was too late, and listen to "jailhouse lawyers", relatives, and others with conflicting interests rather than her own lawyer. Once again. She is a legal adult. She has the right to ignore her lawyer. The judicial system is not a set of training wheels for life.

Hallelujah and Amen.

 

[GRANNYL]

I agree with you up to a point.
But why are not those teenagers yanked off the streets earlier. And put in some kind of rehabilitation/detox program away from their often beyond help toxic adult family members and vocationally trained/educated with a chance for a decent job/future.
Guess available funds is the bottom line. But long time incarceration surely must be more expensive.

I agree with you 100%!! We need to as a nation find some way to get this right and treat everyone the same in every state and no special favors etc. And we need to do it now not six months from now or six years from now.

Your right about the funds but it is cheaper in the long run to save our children but so hard to make the powers to be understand and then do something.

 

[Crosby87]

Why didn't Hope graduate from high school? In Court, Hope apologized for letting her family down but why in the world did her legal guardians allow her to drop out of school? I think if it was mandatory for all children to complete high school, some of these problems would disappear.

 

[4Jacy]

Was Hope living at home when the arrests were made? If so, why didn't her mother made her finish high school? Why did her mother let her work in a strip club? Why did her mother allow her to speak to her like she did on the phone from jail?

I've read all the posts about Hope and I'm a pro/con about her sentence. I think mandatory 15 years is an awful lot. However, using or dealing these drugs could lead to someone's impairment or death.

I think a really strict boot-camp, counseling, (perhaps a little religion thrown in), healthly living, getting her GED, training for future employment, et al. THEN a very healthy probation.

This a young girl who could have her life changed around for the better. I hope and pray a more wholesome future is in store for her, but 15 years in the pen is only going to harden what I see as a already hardened heart.

Let's have some prayers for Hope.

 

[AlwaysShocked]

"but I don't think Hope was a big time dealer. I think she was in the wrong place with the wrong people"

1.) Hope had prior drug arrests
2.) Hope wasn't just "in the car" - she got out of the car with Misty to go and get the pills.
3.) Her actions made her a part of the crimeof trafficking per the way the laws are written.

By the age of 19 I was taking care of a house, a husband and two babies - not uncommon in those days when married within weeks of graduating high school.

So I don't consider 19 to be a "teenager" - even though the number still has a "teen" at the end. Especially one someone who works at a strip club, because that would sure grow you up fast.

Come on, Hope knew exactly what was going down that day. And I'd bet a lot of other days too.