A month ago I blogged about Shaneen Allen, a 27 year old single mother from Pennsylvania, working at two jobs, who was stopped for a traffic violation in New Jersey.
Ms. Allen, who had been robbed twice, had gotten a concealed-carry gun permit, and carried a gun for her personal protection.
But when she told the police officer she had the gun, so there would not be any problem if he saw it, she was arrested. It seems that, unbeknownst to Ms. Allen, her permit did not have legal standing in New Jersey. And, even worse, she faced a long mandatory prison sentence – 3 1/2 years – for her inadvertent mistake.
Here is what I wrote about this insanity at the time:
Could it possibly be clearer that this young woman has done nothing wrong? That she tried to act entirely within the law? That she is no threat to anyone but a potential criminal attacker, which – after being robbed twice – she has an obvious need to protect herself from?
To incarcerate Ms. Allen for even one day would be so great a miscarriage of justice that I can\’t imagine anyone, knowing the specifics of this case, would look the other way and subject her to it.
Please, please, Governor Christie, do the right thing and intervene on her behalf.
Thank you in advance for what I hope you will do.
Well, now it is one month later. And not only has Governor Christie not intervened, but District Attorney jim mcclain and Superior Court Judge michael donio have decided to pursue Ms. Allen with the zeal of Javert pursuing Jean Valjean. They have made it plain that they will not cut her even one inch of slack.
And what makes this even more galling and even more unfair – which takes some doing – is that this same pair just gave a free pass to the National Football League\’s Ray Rice.
What did Rice do? While at an Atlantic City casino with his then-fiance, he beat her unconscious, and dragged her out of an elevator by her hair (yes, there is video footage).
For intentionally assaulting his wife to be in this manner (and, believe it or not, she has since married him anyway), Ray Rice was put in a “diversion program” for first-time offenders.
But for unintentionally, unknowingly breaking the law by possessing a gun – for which she had a legal permit where she acquired it – these same two are perfectly willing to let Shaneen Allen rot in jail for a minimum of 3 1/2 years.
Too bad she doesn\’t play football, or they\’d probably let her walk, pay her court costs and ask for autographs.
I would say this stinks. But stink is too nice a word for it. This reeks.
And the stench is so bad that Governor Christie cannot help but smell it all the way to Trenton.
For the sake of everything that is decent, Mr. Governor, do not allow this hard-working mother of two to go to jail for this. Prevail on mcclain and donio to stop this travesty. Immediately. It shames them, and shames the state of New Jersey.
The time is now.
