Share Tweet Mom Sentenced To Ten Years In Prison For Selling $31 Of Marijuana

[JBeukema]

Because of $31 in marijuana sales, Patricia Marilyn Spottedcrow is now serving 10 years in prison, has been taken away from her four young children and husband, and has ended her work in nursing homes.

Three days before Christmas, Spottedcrow, 25, entered the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center.
“I'm nervous … because it's prison … people I don't know,” she said.
“People said don't get too comfortable here or you'll be here longer. Don't make too many friends. Come and do your time and get out.”
Marijuana transactions
On Dec. 31, 2009, Spottedcrow and her mother, Delita Starr, 50, sold a “dime bag” of marijuana to a police informant at Starr's home in Kingfisher, court records state.
Starr handled the transaction and asked her 9-year-old grandson — Spottedcrow's son — for some dollar bills to make change for the $11 sale.
Two weeks later, the same informant returned and bought $20 of marijuana from Spottedcrow.
The two women were arrested for drug distribution and because Spottedcrow's children were in the home, an additional charge of possession of a dangerous substance in the presence of a minor was added.

How $31 of pot gave mom a 10-year-prison sentence | NewsOK.com

 

[Mad Scientist]

The women were each offered plea deals of two years in prison. But because neither had prior convictions and the drug amounts were low, they gambled and entered a guilty plea before a judge with no prior sentencing agreement.

So they sold marijuana, plead guilty and were sentenced. But we're supposed to feel sorry for them? Regardless of what you think of Marijuana laws, it's still illegal.

But I guess a certain Police Department didn't get the Obama memo about not enforcing laws did they?

Note to self: Don't sell marijuana in Oklahoma, if caught, potential exists for ten year jail sentence and ass rape.

 

[editec]

Our nation is nuts.

Mad Scientist was kind enough to show us just how nuts it is, too.

Thanks, man.

 

[Mad Scientist]

If you want Marijuana legalized or decriminalized, then work towards that in your state. In the meantime it's still illegal.

If I truly believe that the state speed limit of 65 is too low and drive 75 instead, I can't just say "The law is wrong man! Cars and Roads today can handle the higher speeds".

That doesn't matter. I still have to accept the ticket and pay the fine if I get caught. It's called "taking personal responsibility for your actions".

Hey, if marijuana was legal then maybe I would toke up with you guys. But until it is, I'll just stay away from it.

 

[JBeukema]

Mad doesn't think ten years is a tad excessive here? How is this what's best for society?

 

[The Infidel]

Mad doesn't think ten years is a tad excessive here? How is this what's best for society?

Any time for a pot "possesion" charge is too much.... but the lady was "selling" it, and thats where she made the HUGE mistake. Like it or not.... she is an idiot.

Obviously she didnt know the buyer....errrr COP, and she did it anyways.... with her kids in her presence. She is a dumbass.....


No I dont think 10 yrs is fair.... not at all, but she was still an idiot, but I doubt she is a menace to society, and YES, I do feel sorry for her and her family.

I think the marijuana laws SUCK!

Now.... I am going to suk down a bowl & kick back

 

[Mad Scientist]

Mad doesn't think ten years is a tad excessive here? How is this what's best for society?

I didn't say it was. In fact, I gave a little note to myself about selling marijuana in Oklahoma. Did you not see it?

You do know states can make their own laws about marijuana in certain amounts? Usually, but not all the time, one ounce is considered "intent to distribute". But I'm sure you know that.

If a state populace, through voting, wants to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor or just a traffic ticket, that's their right to do so. If some want to make it a mandatory jail sentence, then that's their right to do so. See how that works? What do you have against States Rights?

May I remind you that there are 49 other states that you can live in besides Oklahoma if you don't like their marijuana laws?

 

[JBeukema]

Yes, she's stupid. Yes, having her kids around (and arguably involved) was a very poor decision. Yes, there is a need to intervene.

But ten years in prison? The children losing their mother whilst they grow up?

The purpose of the Law is supposed to be to serve the best interest of society as a whole- that's why theft and drugs with ties to violence and other crimes are criminalized. It's why we have prisons and CPS.

But how on Earth is this the best way to go for the children or society as a whole? Wouldn't probation with monitoring/check-ups from CPS to ensure she's providing a healthy home enviroment be better than taking the children from their mother and sending her to prison (with all that entails during incarceration and when trying to gain employment and do right afterward)?

 

[JBeukema]

If a state populace, through voting, wants to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor or just a traffic ticket, that's their right to do so.

If the law is a bad law, it must be resisted, spoken out against, and repealed regardless of the majority that voted for it. By your reasoning, racial segregation was the right of the states' voting populace.

This is a bad law/ruling that harms society as a whole. As such, we've a moral duty to oppose it, speak out against it, and demand it be overturned.

 

[Montrovant]

I agree that this sounds like an extreme sentencing. While the article goes on to say that the woman was considered a high risk to re-offend, she had more pot on her when arrested, etc. (I bring this up just to say that she is probably not some innocent who never sold drugs before), none of that leads me to think a 10-year sentence is even vaguely reasonable. Unless there is some kind of mandatory sentencing that I missed in the article, the judge should have been able to give a much more lenient sentence.

Yes, these women broke the law. That is not at all in dispute. Giving the 1 woman such a long sentence seems to be going way overboard, however.

 

[xsited1]

Because of $31 in marijuana sales, Patricia Marilyn Spottedcrow is now serving 10 years in prison, has been taken away from her four young children and husband, and has ended her work in nursing homes. ...

People just don't understand that Marijuana is a gateway drug that can lead to the growing of poppy plants which the Taliban grow in Afghanistan. If this lady hadn't been stopped, she might have blown up the White House or at least a Wal-Mart store.

 

[Mini 14]

Likely that 5 years of that is because of selling it in the presence of a minor, and the other 5 for distributing.

Most States have a mandatory 5 year sentence if you sell within a specified distance of a school, and in those States where "in the presence of a minor" is not a separate charge, the school law applies. But most of the laws are mandatory sentencing, with parole not an option until the minimum mandatory has been served, so she actually got off light, being in Oklahoma.

It sounds to me like she got a normal sentence.

She'll serve 3 years and be out, assuming she stays clean while incarcerated.

 

[jgbkab]

I think both sides of this argument have merit. A drug user is an unpredictable creature. Some sleep it off and some get violent. What would any of you had said if the undercover cop was instead a crazy ex-con high on smack with only 5 bucks? Then again, nothing happened and she was lucky to be selling to an UC with her kid around. But really, how stupid can you be? Even if she did get probation, she still shouldn't be allowed to raise her kids.

 

[whitehall]

What do you think? Ask your 11 year old kid for change when you sell drugs out of your home? Here's a thought, get a pot head attorney to plead not guilty in a case you are clearly guilty of and get ten years instead of two years that the state offered in a plea bargain. Compound the crisis and carry illegal drugs in your pocket on the way to prison.

 

[Wicked Jester]

She sold thirty ONE dollars worth of marijuana?

Who in the fuck sells thirty ONE dollars worth of marijuana?

She deserves to be in fuckin' jail!

 

[Mad Scientist]

If a state populace, through voting, wants to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor or just a traffic ticket, that's their right to do so.

If the law is a bad law, it must be resisted, spoken out against, and repealed regardless of the majority that voted for it. By your reasoning, racial segregation was the right of the states' voting populace.

This is a bad law/ruling that harms society as a whole. As such, we've a moral duty to oppose it, speak out against it, and demand it be overturned.

Civil rights legislation prevents laws from being applied differently to people based on RACE.

If we had different marijuana laws for different races then you'd have a point. But as it is, the law is applied equally among the races.

You wanna' co-opt Rosa Parks for your cause eh?

Ever body sang; "We shall over..... ever body must get stoned!"

 

[editec]

If you want Marijuana legalized or decriminalized, then work towards that in your state. In the meantime it's still illegal.

If I truly believe that the state speed limit of 65 is too low and drive 75 instead, I can't just say "The law is wrong man! Cars and Roads today can handle the higher speeds".

That doesn't matter. I still have to accept the ticket and pay the fine if I get caught. It's called "taking personal responsibility for your actions".

Hey, if marijuana was legal then maybe I would toke up with you guys. But until it is, I'll just stay away from it.

Spare us your lectures on what we ought to do.

If you don't realize that putting somebody in prison for selling a harmless weed is a social EVIL, if you're okay with that just because that is what the laws tells you, then there really is no common ground upon which we can discuss this issue.

The law isn't just wrong, the law is evil, sport.

 

[R.D.]

Mad doesn't think ten years is a tad excessive here? How is this what's best for society?

I don't know, she had pot on her at sentencing...being that dumb should cost you.

 

[JBeukema]

Mad doesn't think ten years is a tad excessive here? How is this what's best for society?

I don't know, she had pot on her at sentencing...being that dumb should cost you.

Putting her in prison costs all the taxpayers in her state.

 

[Mini 14]

Mad doesn't think ten years is a tad excessive here? How is this what's best for society?

I don't know, she had pot on her at sentencing...being that dumb should cost you.

Putting her in prison costs all the taxpayers in her state.

Worth every penny to rescue the child.