15 Dead, 2400 Homes Destroyed, $800 Million Damages - Arson...

…sentenced to 6 months in a halfway house and community service.

9th Circuit.  2003 – in the same general time frame as the Hammonds.

While the details of this case are not apples to apples comparisons to the plight of the Hammonds, the inconsistency in sentencing and charges brought is relevant.  Mens rea mattered in the Cedar Fire.  It should have mattered for the Hammonds.

How many fires in the last 25 years have been set by people on ‘Federal’ lands – and how were those cases disposed?  The entire purpose for sentencing guidelines was supposedly to make sentences more consistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

You want to support the Hammonds?  Help us dig into similar cases and find inconsistencies in prosecutorial discretion and sentencing.  A diverse set of outcomes for similar ‘crimes’ will support the argument for releasing Dwight & Steve Hammond.

Here’s the link on the Cedar Fire