By Matt Snyder
Herald Staff Writer
SHARON
Fri, May 16 2008
—
All charges were dropped last month against an 18-year-old Sharon man accused of stealing three rifles, and now the alleged victim wants justice.
“This whole situation has got me pissed,” said Daniel Gerda, Sharon.
Last June, Gerda’s 15-year-old son came home to find three teenagers coming out of a window in their home. He followed them and called police. The trio were apprehended a short time later, Sharon police said.
The alleged thieves included Brandon Lee Hall, 18, of 818 New Castle Ave., and two Youngstown youths. Hall was charged with burglary, trespassing, receiving stolen property, theft, criminal mischief, corruption of minors and conspiracy to burglarize and steal.
Hall had charges dismissed so that he can join the Army, where prosecutors think military discipline will straighten him out, said Mercer County District Attorney Robert G. Kochems.
“First thing I heard about it was when I picked up The Herald a couple weeks ago and found out they let this kid off,” Gerda said.
Kochems said it’s the policy of the District Attorney’s office to consult victims before deciding how to proceed with charges and to keep them in the loop. Gerda should have been contacted. He said he did not handle the Hall case and would have opposed the decision to drop charges.
However, he added that there was a victim impact statement included in the court papers and so prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Keith Bell would have known how Gerda felt.
“Normally, we would talk personally to the victim,” Kochems said. He added, “While we have to consider the victim’s position, we don’t have to agree with it.”
Hall was ordered to pay full restitution in return for having his charges dropped, which means Gerda is to be reimbursed for broken windows, a few small stolen items and wages for spending time in court. The stolen rifles were recovered.
That didn’t appease Gerda, though. “What if I go knock his teeth out, and then buy him dentures? What the hell?”
“Everyone’s treating him like some little angel that made one little mistake in his life,” Gerda said, appalled. “He’s been in all kinds of trouble before.”
Kochems said Hall had a juvenile conviction. He added, though, that the military seemed to Bell like the best opportunity to rehabilitate Hall.
However, if Hall were on probation the military would not take him, Kochems said, so they had to dismiss charges.
In addition, Kochems said if Hall is re-arrested, the charges could be refiled any time within the statute of limitations, which is five years in Hall’s case.
Sharon police said the teens had stolen two sporting rifles and a semi-automatic 7.62-mm assault rifle.
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