Nearly six months after the tragic death of Dr. Ken Peterson on Halloween night of 2007 on the Gunflint Trail, a grand jury has decided to charge his killer with two misdemeanor traffic offenses, tickets routinely issued by the Minnesota Highway Patrol in ANY accident, even where there is no damage to life or property.
The few facts so far released to the public (aside from the name and age of the killer, Maranda Weber, 27) provide only negatives: she was not drunk, not on drugs, and not speeding. So, how is it that she killed a man who was trying to remove a downed tree in the middle of the Trail? Hmm, it seems she was "careless."
Careless? What does that mean, a slap on the wrist, a fine of a couple hundred dollars at most?
Well, no way would I or any other driver I know be "careless" enough to slam into a tree across the road!
Dr. Peterson was an exceptional person, evidenced by his last act of trying to remove a hazardous tree blocking the Trail, but even more so by his life of giving so much to the residents of our county.
And is his death so meaningless that the county attorney has chosen not to pursue any fault? And would that be because the killer was a member of the Border Patrol?
CA Tim Scannell has obfuscated the issues, and probably influenced the grand jury (as nearly always happens) with his statement that there was no evidence for "vehicular homicide" and therefore would be no jail time.
HELLO? Jail time? Oh no way, not for a Homeland Security employee. Still, there are lots of options between jail and a traffic ticket. The community as well as Ms. Weber deserve some healing, such as community service in penance or at least some required driver training. Or at best some parole, again commonly prescribed by the courts even in cases not involving the death of a human being, a recognition that there needs to be a period where the perpetrator is held accountable for her actions by society.
True
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4 comments:
This should be in our local paper!
Shame on this community for letting politics make us an Edina.
We have but only one local paper, The Star. Shame on the Star for not being more in tune with local issues.
I excpect the other paper to skirt these issues as they are not local. They are owned by a media monster. ICK (for me) Walmart verses...Johnsons Grocery Store.
Come on Star...get some guts and give the locals what they want and need, we need you, we need
the truth.
Sarah
Guflint Trail
YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK! YOU HAVE NO CONCEPT OF TRUTH OUTSIDE YOUR BUBBLE OF BULL.
Courts "prescribe parole"? Parole is used by the state to let prisoners out of prison in lieu of serving their complete terms. Probaton, not parole, can be used after a finding of guilt for an offense. It is used as an alternative to incarceration in order to put REAL criminal in jail and prison. Accidents happen. Before you rant on how the criminal justice system should do their job, do some research so you sound somewhat credible.
No jail for a homeland security employee? Have you heard of the cases of the Border Patrol Agents in Texas who were imprisoned for wounding an illegal alien drug smuggler, who was in turn given immunity and a green card in order to testify against them in our court? AND, after testifying, he was caught again smuggling marijuana across the border? Maybe we should annex Mexico and legalize drugs to solve this problem!!
Long after moving away from Grand Marais, I still enjoy reading your conspiracy theories about how George B. likes to spend his time reading your email and watching you sunbathe on your deck. I'm sure Grand Marais is marked on every secret agents map across this country. Keep up the good work!
A former CC'er
What???
Sarah
Gunflint Trail
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