Baltimore arsonist surprised by lenient plea deal
Roya Hanna, who is running to unseat the liberal prosecutor who charged the arsonist, calls for accountability for violent offenders
Critics are speaking out against liberal soft-on-crime policies after a Baltimore man who was originally charged with 18 counts of arson was let out of jail after serving only six months.
Luther Trent set his ex-girlfriend’s house on fire while three people were inside. In a video he recorded after his release, Trent was surprised by his lenient plea deal, admitting, "I shouldn’t be out right now."
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Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore, Maryland, is now under fire for only charging Trent with one count of arson, pleading him down from the original 18 charges to only one.
"This plea was just so disturbing on so many levels," said Roya Hanna, a former prosecutor who is running to unseat Mosby.
Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby speaks on recent violence and says there is "probable cause to file criminal charges in the Freddie Gray case" of officers involved in the arrest of the black man who later died of injuries he sustained while in custody in Baltimore, Maryland May 1, 2015. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
"The fact that for three attempted murders, they gave him probation causes victims to lose interest in the system, emboldens criminals, and those type of pleas are destroying the city."
On "Fox & Friends First" Friday, Hanna took aim at Mosby’s credibility, as she was recently indicted on federal charges of perjury and making false statements while applying for homes in Florida.
"I just don't know how Ms. Mosby, who's been indicted by the U.S. Attorney's Office, can really work with the U.S. Attorney's Office to make sure that gun offenders are held accountable."
Clyde Boatwright, president of the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police, called Trent’s plea deal a "political stunt."
"What we’re seeing now is a political stunt to increase felony conviction rates," he said on "Fox & Friends" Friday.
"This is a two-for-one thing: He gets out, and he's able to roam the streets to hurt someone else. And the prosecutor's office gets to say that they had a felony conviction in this case. That’s the problem."
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Boatwright said his community deserves better and slammed liberal prosecutors who campaign on being tough on crime.
"They put these people in office, and everyone else is left to suffer," he told Fox News’ Steve Doocy. "We can’t have these political people leave the citizens out to dry because they want to push an agenda."
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Hanna called on Mosby to step down from her position.
"This is not about her or this campaign," Hanna said. "This is really about making sure that offenders are held accountable."
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