digg

Facebook Connect Join Digg About

Mother/Wife of Iraq Soldier gets 2 YEARS in jail for throwing McDonalds cup

washingtonpost.com — A woman is driving north on Interstate 95. Three kids squirm in the back seat, and her sister, six months pregnant and having early contractions, sits in the front. The stress starts to simmer. Traffic slows, then crawls, then creeps. More stress. A car cuts in front of her, then scoots away. A short time later, it darts in again. She can no longer

Who dugg this? Made popular Feb 19, 2007

Digg DudeWhat is Digg?

Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. Digg surfaces the best stuff as submitted and voted on by the community. Take the Tour to learn more.

478 Comments

show profanity settings
expand all
  • fromkyletomars, on 10/12/2007, -29/+333She threw a cup full of ice at a moving car....I mean her sentence is a bit harsh, but still it was a dumb thing to do. I also love the fact that they mention her husband in Iraq, as if it should give her a pardon for being a dumbass.
  • CraigB12, on 10/12/2007, -55/+335A good person would just sit in traffic, and set a good example for her children.
  • DrGonzo1184, on 10/12/2007, -28/+250This is another example of why mandatory minimum sentences are *****.
  • UGM2099, on 10/12/2007, -15/+206@CraigB12

    A good lawyer would have gotten her community service.
  • CraigB12, on 10/12/2007, -104/+288No, she's in jail because she broke the law.
  • villium, on 10/12/2007, -62/+221This is the type of crap that makes me want to slap those jurors. It is well within their power to stop this kind of nonsense and send a clear message to both the judge and the prosecutor. Guess this is why I'm never picked for a jury.
  • washingtonydc, on 10/12/2007, -11/+128the jury was doing its job. they were asked that, beyond a resonable doubt, did the defendant commit the crime. they chose the lightest sentence they possible could--now only the judge has the power to lessen the sentence.

    it's not the jury's fault--it's the mandatory sentencing guidelines. as this story illustrates, they're bad for the justice system. one size fits all sentencing does not work.
  • xsuite, on 10/12/2007, -25/+137Mother AND wife of a soldier!! *coughOedipuscough*
  • evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -82/+185She was lucky not to cause the other car to wreck - she deserves what she got.

    Also, wtf does it matter if she's the wife and mother of a soldier? (Hopefully not the same one...) If anything she should know better.
  • Thomas72, on 10/12/2007, -47/+149Agreed. It's the moral responsibility of every juror to apply common sense when deciding whether to convict or not.
  • profOblivion, on 10/12/2007, -16/+109Didn't the cup land IN the other car?

    "It flew diagonally across Ballin and onto Fowle. 'It was gross and sticky and got all over me and the front of our car, the dashboard and the windshield,' Fowle said."

    That sounds pretty dangerous to me.
  • mrsark, on 10/12/2007, -5/+82what difference does it make that they are related to a soldier in iraq?
  • PhantomBantam, on 10/12/2007, -15/+91First an LED sign is a bomb, now a fast food cup is a missile?
  • UGM2099, on 10/12/2007, -44/+102Public defender Terence Patton is why she's in jail.. he must be the worst lawyer on the face of the earth.

    If the couple who were hit by the McMissle had any decency they would be pleading for charges to be dropped.
  • CraigB12, on 10/12/2007, -32/+89Yeah, the law sucks, but you know what? Tough *****. If she did that and caused an accident where the other driver was killed, everyone would be on the other side. I sit in Boston traffic both ways everyday, and I keep my cool when people act like *****. If you're throwing things in other peoples cars while you're on the highway thats endangering someone elses life.
  • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -82/+138"No, she's in jail because she broke the law."

    ***** you. And ***** all Americans who approve of throwing each other in jail for trivial *****. What the ***** is wrong with us? The sum total of the consequences of her actions was a situation that "was gross and sticky and got all over me and the front of our car, the dashboard and the windshield." And she gets two years? This is total destruction of her (and her family's life) and $100,000+ of taxpayer money. Have we all gone ***** insane?
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+45why does it matter than she is the mother of an iraq soldier? do they get special treatment nowadays?
  • Qinar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+37and this title needed to mention that she was a wife of a soldier why?
  • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -19/+53How could she have caused them to crash when it was bumper to bumper traffic?
  • topcat5, on 10/12/2007, -21/+55It's not the jury's fault, it's not the judges fault, its the fault of the idiot woman who though it was a good idea to throw something into another car. What if the driver had crashed the car and killed some people as a result? I don't care if her husband is serving in Iraq as it has nothing to do with this situation except that she ought to be ashamed for acting like an immature child while her husband is putting his life in danger for this country.

    It's amazing to me the people in this country who won't take responsibility for their actions and instead want to blame someone or something else. Disappointing is the fact that people here should suggest the jurors should do anything different than what they did.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -15/+48After RTFA, the guy's version of the story is a bit soft. I mean, if you've dealt with DC traffic, you KNOW people drive like complete retards...especially people who actually living *in* the District. I'll bet money they guy was driving like a complete prick and deserved the cup of ice in his lap. People are notorious for trying to take the front bumper off your car up here.
  • Khojigybarra, on 10/12/2007, -11/+44What if it was a steaming cup of coffee? It may sound ridiculous, but throwing garbage at other people's cars is ridiculous. It's a slippery slope. If a supersized soft drink were to hit a baby (imagine if it was a hard plastic cup), then people wouldn't be saying its ridiculous or unwarranted.

    and to brocklese:
    playing the race card is childish... not everything is about race, regardless of how much you want to try and make excuses for something you see as unjust. Get over it... milllions of injustices happen to non-black people everyday.
  • theragu40, on 10/12/2007, -7/+39This isn't really the fault of the jury. If you read the article, it says they were instructed on the definition of a 'missile', and according to the definition they were given, Hall threw a missile at the other car. It's the jury's job to to determine whether or not the defendant is guilty of what he or she is charged, and in this case, Hall was. The real issue is the mandatory minimum sentence, and the prosecutor's decision to classify her actions as firing a 'missile' when they knew damn well what that would get her if she was convicted.

    EDIT: Ah damn you washingtonydc, you beat me to it. Oh well :)
  • asif5th, on 10/12/2007, -6/+35What a great example for the kids.
  • LikwidFlux, on 10/12/2007, -2/+29Not sure why you're getting dugg down, I agree. Just because someone is the wife of a soldier doesn't mean the crime/punishment/story is more relevant.

    Supporting our troops is one thing, but thinking that someone should get special attention because they are the spouse/family/loved one of a soldier is just ludicrous.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -23/+47Why the top few comments are dugg up is ***** beyond me. ***** proof that most of you reading this are DUMB.

    Do you realize that what she did is highly illegal because it's ROAD RAGE? I'm not sure which states you live in, but that ***** is a felony. Throwing something at another car is ***** dangerous. It doesn't matter if it's coffee.

    Then this article tries to justify it because her husband is in Iraq and her sister is pregnant. Give me a ***** break.
  • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -8/+29@SIRBERUS - No, actually, we are punished for what does happen. Also, intention and context are everything. In this example, the cars were not moving, therefor it was impossible for her to have caused an accident, killing little children and nuns, as you mention in your example. Think about that for a moment, in this context, there was no potential for a deadly accident. This is one of the reasons that juries are supposed to have greater discretion. They should be able to differentiate between this incident and a similar incident in which a person throws a cup of ice at another driver when driving at 50mph. The two cases would be vastly different If we convicted on non-contextual what ifs, we would all be in prison. An extreme absurd example (though no more absurd than this case) would be if I jaywalked on a empty country road. Your reasoning would lead to, well, what if that road were busy with traffic. And what if that busy road were in an urban setting. And, what if that traffic was all school buses and church buses. And, what if there was a propane storage facility on the side of that road and when of those buses veered into a propane tank, exploded, killing everybody within a 200 foot radius. Obviously, I should get 10 years in prison for jaywalking on that empty country road, because, if the context was completely different, 100 people would have died.
  • hbweb500, on 10/12/2007, -3/+24"Mother/Wife of Iraq Soldier"

    I read the title and thought, "wait, the mother of a soldier married him as well?"
  • alex189a, on 10/12/2007, -10/+30Leave race out of it.
  • icedevil6, on 10/12/2007, -42/+61@CraigB12

    There is such a thing as an overblown response. If I litter I don't expect five to ten.
  • snockhockster, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Two words: Jury Nullification

    Until more citizens are aware of what it is and the power they can wield, people will continue to go to prison for "missiles", "terrorism", and the like.

    Based on the info in the article:
    Do I think she committed a crime? Yes.
    Do I think she deserves two years in prison? Probably not.
  • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -8/+25"If the minimum sentence is 2 years (which is what it says it is in the article), then the jury had to give her at least that much."

    Aside from the fact that mandatory minimums are ***** (if judges can't legislate from the bench, lawmakers certainly can't judge from the legislature), the fact is that the judge forced them to consider the tossing a cup of ice as launching a missile... not guilty. Simple assault, yes. Launching a missile, no. Simple as that.
  • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -4/+21Also, nobody here so far has claimed that she should "get a away with it". So, stop this illogical ***** of inferring that that those who think giving a mother 2 years of jail for this is insane as promoting that she not be punished in any way. As for you arm chair prosecutors, do you understand what two years of jail time means? That is the end of her family as we know it. She and her family would be better off, literally, if we punished her by cutting off her arm. I guarantee you, if we followed this family we would find that they are completely ***** if she serves that time. There is going to be nobody to look after the children and we will probably now be footing the bill for their imprisonment in the near future. But let's not think about any of that and just continue down the same Draconian path that took down the Roman empire.
  • bionicvskungfu, on 10/12/2007, -5/+22@davidkeithjones
    I agree, I would like to see firearms possession and drunk driving violations treated with more severity before we start throwing the book at garbage throwing. This is why the jury system is ***** up. We spend all this money on a judge who is a legal expert and then we leave the decisions up to a bunch of slack jawed hillbillies.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -10/+26@markthewiz

    I was hesitant to bring up the possible racism angle, because I loathe those who play the race card...but DC is rife with open racism. The fact that the lady in question is poor and black...and after reading the description of the "victim's" trip, where they live and their names, I'll be willing to make a bet that they're white and much more well off than she is...one of them probably works on the Hill.

    Sad part is: ***** like that happens all the time up here.
  • aliengoods, on 10/12/2007, -8/+24Actually its only sad for you.

    I, on the other hand, was shocked that a cup can be considered a missile.

    Now I'm going to unleash chemical weapons on those in my building (I'm taking a piss).
  • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19From the person hit by "the missile": "I think that this is way too much of a punishment for her actions. This is just to me absolutely ridiculous," Fowle said. "Community service would have made more sense", she said.
  • 47f0, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18For those of you who are convinced that this woman nearly created a highway holocaust roasting hundreds of innocent kids in their school-bus, learn to read.

    The traffic is gridlocked. The driver was able to pull even to the car and hit on open window. This happened at parking lot speeds under understandable duress.

    At worst, she is guilty of misdemeanor assault. The horrific danger here is roughly akin to putting a pie in Bill Gates face. What was the sentencing for that calculated and premeditated episode?

    Interesting that those of you who say she created a horrific danger to the public find her cup of ice more deadly than the ass-hats who were driving nearly two tons of steel aggressively.

    Go figure
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14slash wife *
  • r00tus3r, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16It's harsh. But she's stupid. I hate people that can't control their bloody tempers. What are you, a ***** five year old? That really is harsh sentence tho.
  • lethalpreacher, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16why does it matter that she has a husband serving in iraq?
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15another dangerous criminal behind bars
    we just cant have everyone firing missles at each other on the roads!


    seems wrong for some to get away with murder, or lieing to a whole country and getting thousands of people killed.., meanwhile a woman throws a cup and gets 2 years..
  • Caiman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14'Mother/Wife of Iraq Soldier'

    Er, wtf? So what if she's the mother/wife of an iraq soldier? Does that somehow make this story more important?
  • blimpmaster, on 10/12/2007, -9/+21@CraigB12

    Yes she broke the law. Yes she should be punished. No, she is not a felon. The mere fact the low end of the sentencing is 2 years and a felony should tell you that the law is out of whack. Does this mean when kids throw snowballs at cars they are felons? Did you ever do that?

    I work in a prison and I see this kind of misguided justice every day. The law only sees black and white, no pun intended. There is no middle ground. Common sense must play a part in how we decide our court cases. My state has a three strikes law, the most idiotic law ever enacted.

    I think you need to go and visit a prison in your neck of the woods and see how many of the inmates should be incarcerated. I will guarantee you that half should not be there. However, the only time I see you in an institution like that anytime soon you won't be a visitor.

    The 60's are long gone bro. Leave your racist attitudes at the door and join the human race.
  • barbarac, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12So exactly why is it relevant that she is the mother/wife of a soldier in IRAQ? Are rules different for them?

    What about Son or Daughter of a fireman? Or the best friend of a fishmonger??
  • David513, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16No, she's not in jail for throwing a cup. She's in jail because she threw something into a moving car that could have caused an accident and killed someone. You can argue about the punishment she deserves, but it's stupid to minimize it as "just throwing a cup." Regardless whether the other car was too aggressive, you just can't have morons throwing things into other moving cars. To defend that action is idiocy.

    David
  • rajulkabir, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Especially considering the incest angle.
  • aschocobo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15@ judemental pri--um...majortom:
    "Actually she belongs in Jail.

    She has no job and lives on food stamps. Only the husband who is a soldier gets paid but yet she CAN AFFORD MCDONALDS?"

    funny you should mention that she had no job, seeng as how because many (white) Americans come from homes with stay-at-home moms.
    also fta:
    "She was supposed to start nursing school the day after she was sent to jail..."

    so she was actually going to attempt to get it together, but nevermind that, oh, golden haired boy, who hath nary commited even the slightest sin in your whole entire life. yeah, just screw the fact that the lady is married, but her husband is absent, due to a war of fabricated facts that our dear ol president started. screw the fact that she was attempting to go to school to make a better life for herself and her family. screw the fact that this is an overblown case, with a cruel and unusual punishment, that happened in STILL traffic, where no one and nothing was hurt (no matter how many "what if" senarios you want to dream up), where a fine, citation, warning, and possibly community service would have sufficed for just punishment. yeah, she belongs in prison.
  • econoar, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Good thing she wasn't smoking pot while she threw it. She probably would have gotten life.
  • nodong, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Wow, I never realized what racist, fascist sickos diggers were before. The fact that all sane comments like this are dugg down is creepy. I'd bet if some Ivy League white girl threw a cup in frustration, and the other car had a bunch of black women in it, the black driver would have been cited for reckless driving.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 100 of 479 discussions

  • Add a Comment

    Login or register to comment!
    Or, sign-in super fast with your Facebook account ...