Ersland Trial Begins

[PennyQuilts]

Thanks for the link(s) Brian.

So, am I the only one that finds it odd that a couple of guys witness an attempted robbery - must have heard gunfire in the pharmacy, and undoubtedly heard and saw Ersland going down the street firing shots at the kid that they must have seen exiting the pharmacy just prior - just calmly finish whatever it is that they were doing and drive off without investigating or showing any interest at all?

Kinda sad IMHO.

Yeah, I thought that was odd, too. And if memory serves, they were there when the two kids went in but only one came out.

[BBatesokc]

Thanks for the link(s) Brian.

So, am I the only one that finds it odd that a couple of guys witness an attempted robbery - must have heard gunfire in the pharmacy, and undoubtedly heard and saw Ersland going down the street firing shots at the kid that they must have seen exiting the pharmacy just prior - just calmly finish whatever it is that they were doing and drive off without investigating or showing any interest at all?

Kinda sad IMHO.

Doesn't surprise me one bit. I've seen many a man and woman beat on South Robinson Ave and 99% of the time people ignore it or simply gawk from a distance.

[Roadhawg]

Tarpon, Springs, FL - Roy Blair, a 30-year-old Florida man was jailed after he allegedly tried to rob a pharmacy, but ended the day in a ditch with a black eye, wearing nothing but his underwear.

According to Tarpon Springs police, security cameras were rolling when Blair hopped over the desk with a knife at a local pharmacy in an alleged attempt to steal bottles of Oxycontin.

Investigators say a customer grabbed Blair in an attempt to hold him for police, even after Blair stabbed him in the neck with the knife.

Pharmacy technician, Jordan Bennett, also tried to hold Blair down while another employee grabbed a baseball bat and began striking Blair's bottom with it.

Eventually, the suspect broke away and fled the pharmacy. he was found a short time later in a nearby ditch, wearing no other clothing but his underwear.

Blair was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on four counts of Fruadulently obtaining a controlled substance, attempted 2nd-degree murder, and attempted robbery. He is being held in lieu of a $220,000 bond http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=XuIhY1pv7eU

[BBatesokc]

^^^ Love it.

Personally, I think something that hasn't been discussed is the reality that pharmacy owners bear some responsibility. With pharmacy robberies nothing new and getting worse and the fact robbers will often get far more in a pharmacy robbery over a bank robbery, owners should be more proactive in employing armed security guards. Yes, its an extra financial burden that must be passed on, but it I visited a pharmacy often, I choose the safety conscious one over the easy target.

[kevinpate]

Submitted without further comment

http://www.newsok.com/jerome-ersland...ad_story_title

[redrunner]

This story keeps getting weirder. File under "strange but true"

[Achilleslastand]

Couldnt help noticing at the bottom of the article about Monahan being on probation for something that happened 5 years ago. What does the daily dissapointment have against her and/or Ersland supporters?
Strange i havnt read one article about cleta jennings and her wonderful bunch or her past infractions of the law....but wait that would be politically incorrect wouldnt it?

[Easy180]

Is an interesting dude for sure...Weird that someone employed him as a pharmacist...Guessing with the stories he tells he makes for a good interview

[Pete]

Ersland gets life; judge rejects request to suspend all of prison sentence

Read more: http://newsok.com/ersland-gets-life-...#ixzz1RpeY7af7

[oneforone]

I think the best think Ersland can do for himself is to stop talking to the media. It's clear the Oklahoma City media is not a fan of his. The reason for that is, the media played him up as a hero and they had to eat crow when the facts came to light. If anything, the media should not blame Erland for their failure. They should walk away from this with the lesson learned of wait until you get all the facts before you go crazy on a story. I agree that Ersland was wrong in his actions however, life in prison is a little excessive. I think 25 years in prison, parole in 10-15 would have sent the message not to take the law into to your own hands. I think Prater was trying appease the black community by sending Ersland to jail for life. In the end, I think the case will cost Prater his job as District Attorney. We all know the working class are who elect people to public office in Oklahoma. Many working class people think Ersland should have never been charged. As I said before, the best he could have done was plead guilty and walk away with his freedom in a few years. Now thanks to all his lies he won't see the light of day outside of a prison until he is feeble old man (if he survives that long).

[kevinpate]

As the facts supported a murder one charge, Prater did not really have a lot of wiggle room when you get to it. Given the tape and the inconsistent stories to the tapes, it was the right call to send it to a jury. Then comes the faked injury, and forensics which further refute the lies told.

the real surprise here is that seemingly no one sat him down and stressed the value of a plea of some form and then worked to go get it signed off on by everyone who would need to sign off on it.

[oneforone]

I am willing to be that a plea deal was mentioned however, Box shot it down because he thought the jury would be in his favor. However, the circus that went on between him and Prater and the un edited cctv video is what sealed the deal for Ersland.

[BBatesokc]

I think the best think Ersland can do for himself is to stop talking to the media. It's clear the Oklahoma City media is not a fan of his. The reason for that is, the media played him up as a hero and they had to eat crow when the facts came to light. If anything, the media should not blame Erland for their failure. They should walk away from this with the lesson learned of wait until you get all the facts before you go crazy on a story. I agree that Ersland was wrong in his actions however, life in prison is a little excessive. I think 25 years in prison, parole in 10-15 would have sent the message not to take the law into to your own hands. I think Prater was trying appease the black community by sending Ersland to jail for life. In the end, I think the case will cost Prater his job as District Attorney. We all know the working class are who elect people to public office in Oklahoma. Many working class people think Ersland should have never been charged. As I said before, the best he could have done was plead guilty and walk away with his freedom in a few years. Now thanks to all his lies he won't see the light of day outside of a prison until he is feeble old man (if he survives that long).

Prater's re-election isn't until 2014 - The Ersland case will have little effect on that election. There is also no guarantee he will even draw an opponent or that he will even run again. The average career of a DA nationally is 3-4 terms and Prater has no further political aspirations. He could leave and make far more money in the private sector. He's pretty much in a win-win situation in 2014.

An educated voter cannot be any more upset with Prater than they'd have to be with the citizens who actually convicted Ersland. In all honesty I think far more people agree with the decision and verdict than disagree. Those who are outraged always yell louder. There would be no reason for his supporters to voice anything at all. Additionally, I've been compiling cases of shootings that were ruled justified and those numbers clearly show Prater supports the use of deadly force against an aggressor. Heck, there were two cases in Oklahoma County within 3 weeks of the Ersland shooting that were never even questioned by the DA - and in one case the would be robber was clearly fleeing the scene and posed no threat to the would be victim. However, the measure appears to be whether or not the aggressor is conscious when deadly force is used. And so far in every case the shot criminal was conscious.

[oneforone]

Oh, I thought his term was up 2012. By 2014 people will have long forgotten about Ersland and those who still support him will likely have a change of heart. The only way I think this become an issue is if Irven Box decides to run against him. I find that highly unlikely to happen because, I think Box makes pretty good money as a defense attorney. Not to mention I am sure his gig at News9 pays fairly well.

[BBatesokc]

Oh, I thought his term was up 2012. By 2014 people will have long forgotten about Ersland and those who still support him will likely have a change of heart. The only way I think this become an issue is if Irven Box decides to run against him. I find that highly unlikely to happen because, I think Box makes pretty good money as a defense attorney. Not to mention I am sure his gig at News9 pays fairly well.

I'd actually love an opponent of Prater's to try and use the Ersland case against him to hang their election hopes on, as it would be easy enough to deflect.

Box would never run for DA for all kinds of reasons IMO and wouldn't stand a chance of winning against Prater. Also, I highly doubt he makes anything from KWTV other than additional exposure.