New York Post

Reform’s New Poster Boys

-

Under New York’s criminal-justice “reforms,” judges are freeing clearly dangerous criminal suspects practicall­y every day — who then quickly become suspects in new crimes. On Sunday, The Post’s Larry Celona, Ben Feuerherd and Ruth Weissmann reported on the latest poster boys for reform:

Eugene Webb, a homeless man set loose Friday after allegedly slugging two women in separate attacks a few hours apart, was rearrested for aggressive panhandlin­g just a few hours later.

Gerod Woodberry, arrested last week for the robbery of four banks, got sprung and promptly hit up a fifth one the next day, law-enforcemen­t sources say.

Webb’s case is especially troubling: He was picked up for allegedly delivering such a swift, unprovoked blow to a 23-year-old woman that it knocked out two of her teeth.

His rap sheet includes four other arrests, and prosecutor­s asked for a $10,000 bail. Yet, under the new rules, the judge let him walk

— only to have him harass passersby on the street just later, cops say.

Woodberry’s story is likewise mind-boggling: “I can’t believe they let me out,” he reportedly gushed. “What were they thinking?” As of Monday, he was still on the loose in connection with the fifth holdup.

That’s just two of several recent suspects The Post cited as allegedly re-offending after winning get-out-of-jail-free cards, including Tiffany Harris, freed twice despite being nabbed three times in five days on assault charges.

Ex-NYPD boss Bill Bratton echoed Woodberry’s words in blasting lawmakers for the reforms behind the insanity: “What the hell were they thinking?” he fumed.

The Legislatur­e didn’t ask “a single judge, a single district attorney, a single police chief ” for input, he noted. “Now we are left to pick up the debris.”

Many legislator­s now say they want fixes, but Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is vowing to stand in the way. If he doesn’t budge soon, New Yorkers will pay a steep price.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States