SCHOOL-ZONE CHARGE IS EXTREME OVERKILL

I find the prosecution of Kyle Sawin (and the other six defendants)
using a mandatory school-zone drug charge to be extreme overkill. The
seven boys accused of selling small amounts of marijuana deserve to
have a fair, thoughtful trial with sensible consequences.

What would be sensible? How about community service, probation, drug
counseling, etc.? In addition, I live in South County and have never,
ever considered the downtown parking lot to be a school zone. I would
contend that none of these boys knew that either. They were not
standing in front of Searles Middle School selling pot to 12-year-olds.

District Attorney David Capeless can at any time during this trial
lower the charges to not include the school-zone charge that carries
the two-year mandatory sentence. Lowering the charge would also give
the judge the option of sentencing these boys to appropriate
punishments, if found guilty. The real sadness of this is that we all
make mistakes and most of us have gone on to be great assets to our
communities. Two years in jail will do nothing to help these boys or
others caught in the mandatory laws.

MARY HART

Stockbridge