35 weekends in jail for punching S.D. officer
COURTS
SAN DIEGO
A San Diego judge on Thursday crafted an unusual sentence of 35 weekends in jail for a 24-year-old man who was dressed as Jesus at Halloween when he sucker-punched a San Diego police officer.
Eric Vanvleet apologized to Officer Ben Hall, who was hospitalized because of the blow, and to his partner and supervisors who attended the hearing. The officers spoke of how the assault, which they styled as an ambush, traumatized Hall and his team.
“My actions were something I would not wish on anyone,” Vanvleet said, standing at the courtroom defense table and facing the officers. “Thank you for speaking today and helping me understand even clearer what my actions entailed and the results of my addiction. I’m thankful I’m on the road to recovery.”
Superior Court Judge Melinda Lasater spent a long time trying to craft a sentence that would send a message of respect for law enforcement while giving Vanvleet a chance to straighten out his life. She placed him on probation for a term of five years and ordered him to report to county jail every Friday evening until Sunday evening for 35 consecutive weekends. The judge told the defendant and attorneys to return to court after 15 weeks to see how the young man is doing on treatment for drug and alcohol addictions.
Deputy District Attorney Will Hopkins and defense attorney Marc Kohnen said out of court that they had never heard of weekend jail for defendants in criminal cases involving charges other than misdemeanor DUI.
Capt. Mike Holden, in charge of the downtown Central Division, urged the judge to follow the recommendation of the Probation Department and the prosecutor that Vanvleet be jailed for 270 days. Hopkins told the judge the officers viewed that as light treatment for assault on an officer.
Lasater resisted jailing Vanvleet for that long, expressing concern that he might be subject to bad influence by other inmates while he is struggling against addiction. She ordered him to live with his parents at their Redlands home, consume no alcohol, hard drugs or marijuana and to seek treatment.