We are trying to do several things at once.
First, we are trying to punish the wrongdoing.
Yes, punishment is part of justice.
Second, we are trying to deter that person from doing it again.
Third, we are trying to send a message to others watching that this behavior won’t be tolerated.
And fourth, and this is important, we are trying to protect the community.
In most cases, I can balance these goals with a sentence that is firm but merciful.
a sentence that punishes but also offers a path to redemption.
But in this case, we have multiple violations on August 15th and August 18th.
We have a complete lack of remorse.
We have attempted intimidation of officer Daniel Martinez.
We have public mockery of law enforcement through social media posts viewed by over 12,000 people.
And most troubling of all, we have a repeat offense just 3 days after the first incident.
This tells me that the defendant either doesn’t understand the seriousness of what she has done or she understands it perfectly well and simply doesn’t care.
Either way, anything less than a serious consequence would be a failure of this court’s duty to protect the public.
Now, I want to address something directly.
