Prisoner wants longer sentence to complete diploma

A Springfield man who fought with police in a holding cell just before Christmas was back in court Wednesday.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130530/NEWS02/705309907

Published May 30, 2013 in the Rutland Herald Prisoner wants longer sentence to complete diploma By ERIC FRANCIS CORRESPONDENT WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Springfield man who fought with police in a holding cell just before Christmas was back in court Wednesday. He asked a judge to extend the minimum length of his jail sentence in order to give him time to complete his high school diploma while behind bars. After spending nearly six months in pre-trial detention because he was unable to post bail, Steven Lapre, 34, told Judge Robert Gerety that he’d been working hard during those months to reverse old habits and make a fresh start. “This is an experience I don’t want to do anymore,” Lapre said Wednesday, looking considerably more relaxed than he did on Christmas Eve when he appeared in the same courtroom with his arm in a sling following a tumultuous arrest. During the arrest he had sent one police officer to the hospital and injured a detective by twisting her thumb before a stun gun was used on him at the Springfield Police Department. While Lapre could have struck a deal calling for his immediate release, he told Gerety that it was important to him to get enough remaining time at the Springfield prison to finish up his diploma through the high school program run by the state Department of Corrections. “I want my kids to see that they can make a change by watching that I can make a change,” Lapre said to the court, adding, “I feel blessed that I’m getting this sentence. I’m taking this as a learning example for life.” After listening to both defense attorney Ben Black and Windsor County State’s Attorney Michael Kainen praise the efforts Lapre has made while in jail, with Black noting that Lapre only has about a credit-and-a-half to complete before graduating, Gerety said from the bench, “I’m going to approve this.” While commending Lapre’s commitment to his schooling, alcohol counseling and anger management courses, the judge also said he was convinced the seven- to 18-month sentence called for in the plea agreement, with credit for the 157 days Lapre has already served, also contains “a significant minimum (sentence) that is going to serve as punishment.” “These are very serious offenses in the court’s view,” Gerety told Lapre, adding, “I’m optimistic (but) I think you’ll find if you are back here for similar reasons then the response is going to be significantly more severe.” That warning was echoed by Kainen, who said that while the minimum was longer than usual, it’s also true that the maximum is on the low side for a case in which Lapre pleaded guilty to two felony counts of violating abuse prevention orders. “He’s getting a fairly lenient maximum,” Kainen told the court before adding, “It’s doubtful that he would get away (that lightly) next time.