Marcos Breton: Law applies equally in Armstrong bike theft, Stallworth DUI death

The knucklehead who stole Lance Armstrong's bike in Sacramento is going to state prison for three years.
Donte' Stallworth, the Sacramento-born NFL star who killed a man in a DUI vehicular manslaughter case, is serving a 30-day sentence in a county jail.
How is that justice?
How can a man fatally strike another while intoxicated and spend only weeks in the pokey while another goes to prison for swiping a $10,000 bike?
The juxtaposition can inspire cynicism. It has the whiff of celebrity justice, sentencing by checkbook.
But you know what?
When examining the facts of each case, the mountain of moral outrage starts to crumble. The misguided culprit in the Armstrong bike caper – one Lee Monroe Crider – is getting the book thrown at him for more than stealing an expensive bike from an alley near 15th and L streets on Valentine's Day.
Dude has a rap sheet as long as one of Armstrong's Tour de France mountain treks. He's had felony convictions, multiple jail stints, two tours in state prison. He was on parole for another theft when he made off with the property of a cycling legend and cancer survivor who once dated Sheryl Crow.
"We're not going to treat someone improperly because there is a famous victim," said Steve Grippi, assistant chief deputy of the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
Armstrong's celebrity did shine light on a bike theft that wouldn't otherwise have been there, and probably played a role in the bike getting returned. At that point, Crider's priors got him three years in prison, though he may serve just half that.
Stallworth's celebrity also focused attention on his case. Many people, particularly in the sports media, feel he got off easily.
"So much for our justice system supposedly being blind," wrote Michael Mayo of the South Florida Sun- Sentinel. "So much for the law applying equally to all."
The law does apply equally, but the facts of each case are different.
Stallworth had no priors. He was legally intoxicated, but the Miami man killed in the incident was not in a crosswalk while crossing the street.
That would have been a challenge for prosecutors. And the victim's family was not interested in reliving his death in a trial. When a financial settlement was floated, the victim's family was open to discussion, eager to put the painful episode behind them.
Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He will serve two years' house arrest after his release. He'll be on probation for eight years. He will lose driving privileges for life. He'll do 1,000 hours of community service, pay court costs and make donations to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Oh, and he has to live with the reality of causing the death of another person. The late Mario Reyes had a 15-year-old daughter who won't see her father again.
Stallworth will take that to his grave. No amount of NFL glory can ease that life sentence.


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