Peoria Pundit

Remember Peoria County Judge Scott Shore? I almost forgot about him.

He’s the jurist who came under some scrutiny for light sentences given to miscreants several years ago.

First there was Omar Porter, who Shore sentenced to 18 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm by hiding a gun outside Greeley School. With credit for time served and credit for “good behavior” he was out after a few months. His sentence would have been longer, but Shore decided that prosecutors didn’t prove that Porter used city streets and sidewalks to transport the gun from one location to another. Maybe us used teleportation or flew there, just like on “Heroes.”

And then there is poor, misunderstood Anthony C. Parker. He’s the one went hunting for humans and ended up firing a shotgun at an occupied car. Shore sentenced him to four years probation for aggravated discharge of a firearm, a charge that normally carries a 15-year maximum prison sentence.

As I wrote at the time, Shore’s six-year term is up this year. He faces a retention vote in November.

I don’t know Shore. For all I know, he’s the greatest legal mind of our time. For all I know, he’s a political hack who could argue his way out of a paper bag.

It doesn’t matter.

When Peoria County voters go into the voting booth, they can vote judges in or out of office for any damn reason they choose, same as state’s attorneys and Congressmen. And if voters decide that a judge who gives probation to a guy who fires a shotgun at an occupied car is a bit too soft on crime for their tastes, so be it.

Shore’s supporters — and he has many — will no doubt complain about this post. My position is that if this guy is a good attorney, then he’ll no doubt land on his feet.

And I’ll ask my readers: Are there any other judges who ought NOT be retained? Let me know.

This entry was posted on October 5, 2008 at 10:42 pm and is filed under Local with tags crime, judges, Scott Shore. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed Both comments and pings are currently closed.