Scirrotto Strikes A Deal
February 14, 2008 by Run Up The Score!
Anthony Scirrotto cuts a deal with the Centre County D.A.:
Scirrotto agreed to a plea bargain with the Centre County District Attorney’s Office and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of defiant trespass for his role in the April 1 melee at the Meridian II apartment bulding.
He was sentenced by Centre County Judge Bradley P. Lunsford to serve one year on probation and pay a $500 fine.
As part of the deal, Scirrotto saw a felony count of criminal trespass and a summary dismissed.
Defiant trespass, after all the press conferences, media interviews, and other such posturing? I hope the people of Centre County enjoyed having their money wasted by the D.A. for a third degree misdemeanor. Not exactly a good return on their taxes, is it?
I’d get into a long diatribe about legal ethics, but let’s leave it at this: if you’re going to charge someone with a list of felonies — something that could substantively alter the rest of the defendant’s life — it better be for something serious. The prosecution never had enough facts on its side for any of those major charges to hold up, and the cynics who routinely complain that the Centre County D.A. is on a witch hunt for football players may have a point for once.
Yes, there’s a high degree of free publicity for district attorneys when athletes are charged, but the D.A.’s in Centre County don’t seem to realize there is such a thing as bad publicity.
Update: Fight On State has a video interview with Scirrotto’s attorney, Ron McGlaughin.
At least now we can move on to the IMPORTANT things like what Joe will do to him, if anything.
Does a guy who just lived in Denver really think the media spotlight in Centre County is bright enough to incent any kind of grandstanding?
The prosecution, as with the rest of us, had a pretty good idea what happened - and it WAS serious. That’s different from how likely it was they’d get a conviction, of course, thanks to the fact that it’s hard to identify people in a melee.
But the thing that we all pretty much know happened was that a dude called in a bunch of football players to break into an apartment and lay down a whooping. Serious? Damn straight it’s serious.
They should have considered their ability to actually get a conviction for something before they decided to file any charges. Or maybe their theory was: Charge them with everything under the sun, knowing that a plea deal at least gets them $500 for a jaywalking-level crime. Not exactly a good ROI, but whatever.
None of us were there, no one knows what really happened. If it were truly “serious”, with serious injuries, you would think they would manage to come up with a shred of evidence that could convict someone - anyone - of a crime. Other than the oh-so-problematic ‘going into someone’s apartment uninvited.’
This wasn’t exactly a federal case.
Does a guy who just lived in Denver really think the media spotlight in Centre County is bright enough to incent any kind of grandstanding?
Not understanding your point. Centre County only has ~135,000 people and one “major” newspaper, which religiously covers every little hearing in matters involving football players. It’s becoming more and more obvious that the D.A. is leveraging the local media attention.
Besides, if such a vicious whoopin’ was laid down, wouldn’t there have been someone with serious injuries? Isn’t it time to stop portraying this like it was the fight scene from “Anchorman”?
The prosecution tried the shotgun approach to criminal charging, and it failed. If they had a good idea what happened, they wouldn’t have charged people with felonies that could never, ever be proven. Instead, they’ve come up with practically nothing outside of a few summary charges and one piddling misdemeanor. Not exactly worthy of Law & Order treatment.
My point is that Oh Come On. The idea that a DA would bother grandstanding for the media when that media just covers a state university and a bunch of farmers is a bit much for me to swallow. If the DA is leveraging this media attention, they’d have to have a very tiny little lever - like half a pair of tweezers or something.
Didn’t people get treated at the hospital from this? Wasn’t there property damage?
You guys jump straight from “we couldn’t identify exactly who did exactly what” to “nothing serious happened”. But look at the video of some melees sometime and imagine what it would have been like to try to remember which person did exactly what thing.
No, he shouldn’t be convicted of a felonious trespass if nobody can get convicted of an assault in there. But that’s a far cry from saying the DA shouldn’t have even tried because it wasn’t “serious”.
Again, this is the kind of shit that gets people shot in big cities (and in Texas).
“Didn’t people get treated at the hospital from this? Wasn’t there property damage?”
This is the point, if there were people treated at the hospital and obvious property damage than the DA would have a case. But he doesn’t. These are all things the DA should have looked at and evaluated before charging 6 college kids with life altering felony charges.
Also, I’m not sure what you are getting at with the small market thing. All of the actions that were taken by the DA in this case made national, front page of ESPN news. To grandstand with football player charges is to get your name in the newspaper nationally…so yes, there is motivation to jump the gun on charges if your goal is national attention.
Yeah, I think the small town DA needs to stand up and shout a bit louder - like a little kid trying to get attention - because his cases are all DUI, underage drinking, etc.
Although, there have been an odd number of murders, although they can’t seem to prosecute & convict on those either.
Or find the previous DA.
Honestly as a member of the bar I am embarrased at the prosecutors continued actions in centre county. Yes it is grandstanding when you hold press conferences to charge members of PSU’s football team with crimes because you know that ESPN shows up. I’m pretty sure if you got arrested M1EK there would be no press conference. I’m not defending what the guys did, they need to have more discipline than that but you also have to remember they are college kids. Last time I checked that demographic of males gets into quite a number of fights and it usually gets them thrown out of a bar, not charged with multiple felonies so the DA can get his name in the paper. I think the charges that stuck are probably what he should have been charged with in the first place. Again, not excusing the action, but there is simply no excuse for the DA’s actions either.
As a side note, if Austin Scott is found innocent, and it turns out that the DA knew about the prior false rape claim from the defendant and chose to sweep it under the rug will that begin to concern you M1EK? He has these boys lives in his hands, and he does not appear to be doing the service he is charged with, protecting the public. Embarrasing and sad.
And we’re back to “it was just a fight”.
Let me mention again that in many cities around the country, barging into an apartment to which you were not invited with a posse will get you shot.
SHOT.
You guys want to be apologists and super-homers, fine. Don’t try to grab the moral high-ground while you do it. Had Scirotto whaled on the guy on the street, THAT would have been “just a fight” or “a bar fight”.
As for injuries/property damage - yes, they reportedly had both.
Let me mention again that in many cities around the country, barging into an apartment to which you were not invited with a posse will get you shot.
So what? Anyone can be shot for anything these days.
It will get you JUSTIFIABLY shot. As in, shooter not sent to prison shot. Unless the guy busting down the door is a cop, of course. Then you’re screwed.
It wasn’t even “just a fight”
It was more of a tickle fight…maybe a sissy slap fest.
Get over it M1EK…superhomer!
What really happened is that Scirotto called in his friends at a local sorority - who showed up in lingerie, and proceeded to assault the partygoers with pillows. Frankly, Scirotto ought to be given a medal.
“It will get you JUSTIFIABLY shot. As in, shooter not sent to prison shot. Unless the guy busting down the door is a cop, of course. Then you’re screwed.”
No State (not even Texas, where I am an attorney) allows you to shoot a trespasser. You will go to prison for that.
You should be given a medal, M1EK, for telling it how it truly is. You are my beacon of hope…my shining star. 99.9% of people might disagree with 100% of what you say, but you’ll always be brilliant to me.
“No State (not even Texas, where I am an attorney) allows you to shoot a trespasser. You will go to prison for that.”
Somebody who knocks down your door isn’t just a “trespasser” in that sense. I question your credentials, too, given criminal history here the last few years (people have escaped jail for shooting somebody in their yard, much less their house).
Eric, that means a lot from a guy who doesn’t have the guts to admit he was dead wrong before. If you never look back, you can never be wrong! Keep moving forward!
M1EK. I didn’t realize you were so hood. My bad. Keep it real. But I went to Penn State (read - not Compton, Watts, or apparently Texas?!?) and in State College while the kids with the popped collars run their mouths I don’t recall any of them shooting people. The kid made a bad decision. But not one that a ton of other idiot 20 year old guys don’t also make when they get jumped. Doesn’t make it right, but doesn’t make it first degree murder. Its being a realist, not a superhomer.
A ton of other idiot 20 year old guys gather together posses and break into apartments? Could have fooled me. Once again, you’re willfully misrepresenting the situation as “just a fight”. Fighting back on the street would have been “just a fight”. The HUB was a fight writ large. But this wasn’t a fight; it was a home invasion. Get it?
With a “normal student”, there probably wouldn’t have been a press conference, sure, but then again you don’t have the Superhomer Brigade and the Paterno machine to fight against either. You guys are so quick to assume that the media/justice system are biased AGAINST athletes in State College when it’s quite obviously the reverse to me - the automatic presumption in the legal system has always obviously been that an athlete deserves more benefit of the doubt.
As for the “you gonna get shot”, “Just Saying”:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-castle_13wes.ART0.North.Edition1.3e193c8.html
“The spirit of the castle doctrine has traditionally been upheld in court cases across the country. But Mr. Wentworth wants to see it on the books.”
Note that paragraph: the spirit has already been upheld; meaning “don’t break in or you gonna get shot” has long been used to keep the shooters out of prison. Now they want to make it official, too.
Does M1EK remind anyone else of the Indians fan in Major League…ya know, the one who keeps saying “they’re gonna blow it, just you wait and see.”
The parallels are uncanny. He spouts of asinine gibberish and expects everyone to agree with him, but is ultimately proven wrong (time and time again). He says he is a fan, but never has a single good thing to say about the team.
Maybe he was the stunt double for that movie, and learned all his tricks there, who knows?
Eric, let me refresh your memory, son: you’re the one who has been proven wrong. Still waiting for you to man up on it, by the way.
http://runupthescore.wordpress.com/2007/07/21/david-jones-is-not-feeling-it/
Do you wear your electrical tape-covered PSU hat and inside-out PSU shirt when you post?
Do your mommy and daddy know they raised a ‘man’ who can’t admit when he was wrong?
Can you just admit that you’re actually a Michigan fan and we’ll all be done with this?
I like Michigan slightly more than I respect you.
I’ve been told worse by better.
But yeah, earning your “respect” (read: agree with everything you say no matter what)…thanks, but no thanks.
I’ll just continue to actually root the school I CLAIM to support. If that makes me a Kool-Ade drinking superhomer in your book (which I’m guessing would actually be in the “color by number” series, but I digress), so be it.
Don’t flatter yourself by thinking I desire your approval. Go State.
“But yeah, earning your “respect” (read: agree with everything you say no matter what)…thanks, but no thanks.”
Actually, all it would take at this point would be manning up and admitting that you were wrong about this season — or, at least, it would be a darn good start.
http://runupthescore.wordpress.com/2007/07/21/david-jones-is-not-feeling-it/
Something like “wow, you were right and I was wrong. I still don’t agree with what you’re saying now, though”.
But I understand if you’re not tough enough to admit when you were wrong. It’s pretty tough; I’m trying to teach my 4-year-old how to do it right now.
Pretty pathetic that you need someone you have no respect for to justify your existence on this thread…