Three Strikes Rule Aggressively Enforced in Santa Barbara County
by
Steven R. Andrade on May. 09, 2013
Summary: Although the “Three Strikes” rules changed dramatically in November, 2012 when California voters passed “Proposition 36″, it is still no joke.
Posted May 2, 2013 by Kathleen Ledoux, Andrade Law Offices
Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office announced April 29, 2013 that Michael Sastre, 33, was sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison after pleading guilty to second-degree robbery and arson of personal property. Sastre’s life sentence is the result of two prior serious and violent felony strike convictions in 2000. One was assault with a deadly weapon and the second was attempted murder with a knife. Within hours of his release from state prison in Los Angeles on January 24, 2013, Sastre entered the Arco AM/PM Market at the corner of State Street and Ontare Road in Santa Barbara and announced to the clerk to give him the money in the register or he would be shot. When the clerk refused, he threatened to burn down the building if the clerk did not comply. Sastre then lit merchandise and fixtures on fire throughout the store. When the clerk called 911, Sastre grabbed the keys to the store off of the counter and fled on foot. All of the fires were extinguished before emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Satre was caught by Santa Barbara Police Department less than a block away from the market.
Although the “Three Strikes” rules changed dramatically in November, 2012 when California voters passed “Proposition 36″, it is still no joke and proposes a huge fight for a criminal defense attorney to keep their client from the 25 to life mandatory three strike sentence. It is important to understand exactly what constitutes a strike, simply put, it is any serious or violent felony conviction.
As a former district attorney who once prosecuted three strikes cases, three strikes defense attorney Steven Andrade uses his “inside knowledge” and years of trial experience to expose the weaknesses of a district attorney’s case. There is room for discretion even within the strict three strikes law which is heavily anti-defendant. For example, we may be able to file a “Romero Motion” which gives the judge’s discretion to “strike” prior strikes resulting in a less severe prison sentence. Andrade Law Offices also helps those who were convicted under the old law (prior to 2012) who may have been sentenced with non-violent felonies, to reduce their sentence.
If you or a loved one is facing a strike conviction, call Andrade Law Offices now. We have a lot of work to do together so the sooner we get started, the better. Our telephone number is 805-962-4944.