The High Price of Ninety Cents
A jury finds a man guilty of stealing less than a dollar from an intoxicated victim, recommending leniency to the judge.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John Carney, who has been on trial in Judge Easterday's court on the charge of larceny from the person of William Hayes on January 29, was found guilty by a jury. In rendering the decision, the jury recommended to the court that leniency be exercised in determining the sentence. The amount which Carney is said to have stolen is 90 cents. Hayes, according to the testimony, was intoxicated at the time.
“In rendering the decision, the jury recommended to the court that leniency be exercised in determining the sentence.”
Petty theft cases involving marginal amounts of money remain a recurring point of contention in Tacoma’s criminal justice system, highlighting the tension between mandatory sentencing and judicial discretion. The case underscores how social vulnerabilities—such as the intoxication of the victim—have long influenced the optics and outcomes of local larceny trials.
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