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Letter: Miscarriages of justice?

Editor, Gazette-Journal:

One of the benefits of living in Gloucester is the publishing of court records in the Gazette. Two entries in the latest issue point to a problem with the courts or the sheriff’s office.

In the first, based on the published record, a man was charged with the felony of taking money to perform work and then failing to perform it. This was reduced to the misdemeanor of obtain money by false pretenses. I thought, OK, probably a small issue here. Then I see the end result—no jail time and the defendant was ordered to repay $5,600! How in the world is $5,600 a misdemeanor? Does the court really think the victims will receive restitution? Five years ago, a man driving a stolen vehicle drove through my yard and my fencing. He was ordered to pay $800 in damages. So far I’ve received $42. Good luck to the victims in this case.

The second example is gun related. I’ve had a concealed carry permit for 30 years. I support the Second Amendment sanct...

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