One of the teenagers who murdered John Weed at the Frederick Fair was sentenced Wednesday to anger management and probation.
The 16-year-old did not land the final blow; the teenager was an active participant in the attack.
Judge Julie Stevenson Solt made the sentencing decision and refused the state’s motion to charge the perpetrator as an adult.
State Del. Jason Buckel (R-Cumberland) said the decision was “absurd.”
Buckel went on to say that “we trust judges to reflect the collective judgment and principles of our community, particularly when it comes to sentencing decisions and other discretionary acts where the law isn’t cut and dried.”
“I find it very hard to believe that the collective judgment of the citizens of Frederick County–or Maryland–would support a meaningless slap on the wrist to someone who participated in physically attacking and killing a man in a public place in full view of his family, and who appears to have offered little if any valid defense. It’s incomprehensible to me how the judge reached such a decision.”
The delegate is not alone in his opinion.
A number of Frederick County residents are dismayed. Some are even calling for the immediate resignation of Judge Solt.
Fixing the justice system starts with removing qualified immunity for police, prosecutors, judges and politicians.
A Miner Detail is working on a project to bring racial disparities in sentencing within Frederick County to light.
Judges are elected every fifteen years in Maryland.
Solt was last elected in 2016; short of being impeached by the Maryland legislature, she is likely to retire in office.
There is no recourse for the voters to revoke their consent to be governed by Judge Solt.
However, there is a judicial election this year for Judge Theresa Adams.
Adams’s judicial record on crime includes sentencing pedophiles and child rapists to 18 months in jail.
Maryland does have a Commission on Judicial Disabilities, though it’s unlikely to be successful. Marylanders can report judges for unethical conduct.
The link is listed here.
This article is written by Eric Beasley. Feedback/Questions? Email Eric.
