Day 6 – The Lawyers Finally Show Up

Sierra LaPayLyn, the worlds most notorious “Jay Walker” is ushered to a visiting room booth. This is the first contact she has had with her lawyers since being sent back to prison to face her 40 years sentence since being returned.

Lawyer #1: Hello, Ms. LaPayLyn, I'm Benton Mouster for the Saginaw law firm of Pringle, Dingle, Benton, Benton, Fenton, Wesson, Oil, Smith and Wesson.

Sierra: I'm shake your hand but there's a two inch thick glass plate between us, so I'm just wave and give you a wink.

Lawyer #2: I'm Martin Burran, not “the Martin Burran”, but I do have a law degree and I'm here to represent you, also.

Sierra: Since I have no idea who “the Martin Burran” is, I'll just assume you aren't as good, but I'll assume I'll have to go with what I'm provided with.

Lawyer #1: That's a healthy attitude. I can assure you we are very expensive and we won't be communicating with you or your family very much. That way, we will appear to have more under control and can charge even more.

Sierra: Well, gee and golly too. It's hard to argue with that. I don't have much choice at this point. Is there anyway you can make the judge – The Honorable Sherman Derick see that I'm not a “bad person” and that I have been punished enough?

Lawyer #2: Judge Derick is a fair man. He is well know for being impartial throughout the land. But what we're up against is a single judge that over thirty years ago, that decided to make an example of you. Sure other judges in the state were handing out small fines and probation for first time offenders and then there's that entire Michigan Supreme court ruling that invalidated the type of sentence you had, but because you didn't complete the 10 years originally, that's the bone of contention.

Sierra: But, why? I've been given two years of probation on the escape charge. I admitted my guilt in that and I'm paying a huge fine. Why would they still hold me to an unjust sentence?

Lawyer #1: Well, lets suppose you were sentenced to death and escaped. Now lets say Michigan abolished the death penalty while you were gone and they brought you back. Now would they still expect to carry out the death sentence or re-sentence you under current guidelines?

Sierra: No, of course not!!! See, by shucks, isn't that a reason to re-sentence me now?

Lawyer #1: No, Michigan never had a death penalty. It's one of 13 progressive states that don't. Since they don't have a death penalty, they feel like they can do anything they want to you here in Saginaw county. They think you ran out on your sentence thirty years ago and hid until there were lesser sentences.

Sierra: But, but, that's crazy. It doesn't make any sense at all.

Lawyer #2: Exactly – you're in the place where they want to see people punished no matter how cruel and foolish it may be.

Lawyer #1: And you may want to reconsider running for mayor of Herring Valley. It might just make things harder and you can't run from prison, anyway.

Sierra: But, I got experience being a small town mayor and it's getting public attention.

Lawyer #2: Actually, Benton, she can run for mayor from prison. It turns out Michigan has the highest percentage of convictions of city mayors of any state in the county. If we started excluding convicted felons, there wouldn't be enough politicians to run for office. Why, the last mayor of Saginaw was accused of setting her own car on fire and then convicted of filing a false insurance claim.

Sierra: My gosh, that's a horrible thing to do. She cheated people out of money, could have hurt someone with a burning car and disgraced the office. Surely she must have been sent to prison for a long time!

Lawyer #1: No, she got probation from a Judge William A. Crane, partially for the community contributions she made as mayor. He took into account the good things she did in life against the mistakes she make to show her mercy and give her a chance to redeem herself.

Sierra: How about that mayor of Detroit. He did some bad, bad things. He must have gotten sentenced big time.

Lawyer #1: No, he got four moths in a county jail. It would have been less if he'd kept his mouth shut, but no, he had to make it all sound like it was a conspiracy against him.

Lawyer #2: Or how about that mayor from Flint, Donald J. Williamson. He was convicted for several business scams in 1962 and served 3 years in prison before being paroled.

Sierra: Is that him, pictured just above? Gee whiz, are you sure someone didn't steal a mummy from a local museum and prop it up in the Mayor's office as a Halloween prank?

Lawyer #1: Maybe you should run for office. That may be the only way someone here will give you a fair sentence.

Sierra: OK, if you two will draw up the papers, I'll get my campaign going. Jeepers, it will be good to be running for office again.

Disclaimer: You will notice a mention of a Judge Crane in the blog. It is pure coincidence that this is a real person and the case was real. It is also coincidence that this is the same judge overseeing the Susan LeFevre case. How about that! It couldn't hurt anything to ask this Judge to find a just mercy for Susan LeFevre, since after all she is not fictional and is truly suffering under a long invalid sentence:

Honorable William A. Crane
Saginaw County 10th Circuit Court
111 S. Michigan Avenue,
Saginaw, Michigan 48602

Reference Case No. 74-00284-FY

He even has a Fax number: 989-793-8180, if people would prefer to use that. But then as we all know, this Blog is Not About Susan LeFevre.

Day 5 – The Interest Builds

Sierra LaPayLyn now sits in prison, waiting for the Michigan court system to come to their senses, hoping for mercy. Unknown to her, crowds of supporters begin to build.

In one house somewhere in the "fancy" section of Saginaw, someone decides to do something -

Judy: Hey Lars, this woman, Sierra LaPayLynn, she got a raw deal.

Lars: Really, me being unemployed from the auto industry – I was thinking it might be a good idea to see someone else suffering even more than I am. It makes me feel better.

Judy: No, that can’t be right. There must be someway for us to feel like we’re doing OK in the amazing city of Saginaw, without seeing someone’s mother suffer for something she did thirty years ago.

Lars: Sure it is. Would Sammy Davis Jr. tell us wrong?

Judy: OK. (But thinking silently to herself – “Yes, he would you worthless jerk – I’m going to write an impassioned letter to the Saginaw Judge William Crane.)

The writer of this blog now stops this dialog interchange. Lars and Judy are boring people and will never appear in this blog again. But, in general you can see that they represent people across the county who are concerned and are writing into Michigan officials.

In the meantime, Sierra decides to take a desperate gamble. She needs to figure a ways to make her cause know to the public. She realizes that it is by spreading the word of the grave injustice perpetrated upon her, her cause can be aided.

Late at night she makes a collect phone call to one of the local media outlets. She waits as the news anchor debates paying for the collect call.

News Anchor Irwin Link: OK, I’ve put you on my expense account. What’s on your mind “Escapee Parent”?

Sierra: Why do you have to stick me with that title? I’m dealing with a tough situation here. This isn't a comedy act, prisons are brutal places.

NAIL: It sounds funny to me, so we’re going to run with it. What do you care? They don’t let you watch television there in the Women’s Holding Interment Prison of Eastern Michigan (wonderful WHIP-EM) at Herring Valley do they?

Sierra: Yes, they do. Everyone's favorite show is Prison Break on Fox (True - it really is a hit in prisons across the county – you’d think they wouldn’t encourage that, but people have to watch something and how many episodes of Big Brother can anyone be subjected to anyway? And don’t get me started on the entire Amazing Race. It was boring after the first seas… sorry the writer watches too much TV and really needs to get out more).

NAIL: So are you calling to whine about how mistreated you’ve been, because that makes great listening. People eat that stuff up. Imagine, you hate being in prison.

Sierra: No, although it is pretty bad in here. I have something else in mind.

NAIL: I know, you want to beg forgiveness for all your crimes and confess to new ones.

Sierra: No, it’s none of that, by gosh. I’m going back to being folkie and I’m going to run for the office of Mayor of herring Valley.

Will Sierra LaPayLynn actually run for mayor of Herring Valley? Will the writer even continue on with this story line? Every series goes through a bad episode after a certain amount of time. Just look at Lost, most of the third season went nowhere and whole thing about Michael being gone for an entire year, what was that about? Besides the budge for this blog is next to nothing.

Disclaimer: Admittedly with was the weakest bong entry so far (this is still a young blog, so there's plenty of time for worse) but think of it as a transitional episode. Still notice again there was never once a mention of Susan LeFevre in this blog. She is in an actual women’s prison in Huron Valley, is frightened and worried about the well being of her family for a mistake she made at nineteen. All with a sentence she didn’t deserve. If you’ve already written to Judge Crane at the address below, you could encourage your family and friends to write too.

Honorable William A. Crane
Saginaw County 10th Circuit Court
111 S. Michigan Avenue
Saginaw, Michigan 48602

Reference Case No. 74-00284-FY

Another suggestion, just to the good citizens of Saginaw. If you really are that heck bent (family rated blog here) on senseless punishment, why not left Susan LeFevre out of prison and force her to be Mayor of Saginaw. Make her live there and run things or would they finally consider that to be cruel and unsual punishment?

Just a suggestion.

Day 4 - The Interview by Bohmm Deeddle

The intrepid journalist Bohmm Deedle visits Sierra LaPayLyn in prison for an exclusive interview. Sierra is led into the visiting room by three heavily armed guards and in shackled to the chair. Bohmm Deedle pulls out his writing pad and begins the interview:

Deedle: So Ms. LaPayLyn, how does is feel to be captured after all this time?

Sierra: I’m so afraid. I never intended to cause anyone problems. Golly jeepers, I just make a mistake a long time ago and wanted to be able to live a respectable live. I thought if I just stayed straight, no one would care any more.

Deedle: Well, I’m a journalist, so I’m not here to judge you. I just want to report the facts. Frankly, I’d rather be interviewing the winner of the Miss Saginaw beauty contest, but my editor says I have to do this. But you committed a horrible crime, have you no shame all?

Sierra: Yes, I’m sorry for what I did and I’ve admitted my mistakes, but I didn’t know how to get out of things. It was so minor, what I did. I thought it would just be a small fine. That’s what my public defender said. But then the judge said I was the cause of all the problems Saginaw ever had.

Deedle: Blah, blah, blag. It’s all about you isn’t it? You were what, twelve or thirteen at the time? You knew the streets of Saginaw were running wild with people crossing where ever they wanted. How could you not think the judge would throw the book at you?

Sierra: It was more like the whole encyclopedia set. No, I thought if I tried to show I was mending my ways, he’d have mercy on me. I was young and immature.

Deedle: “Oh, I was so very young – that mean old judge made me go to prison for forty years – boo hoo”. (PAUSING BRIEFLY) Sorry, I not supposed to mock you. My editor hates when I do that. I need to be objective here. I remember back in junior college journalism school, that’s what they said I was supposed to do. Now what kind of life we you living until they caught up with you?

Sierra: Oh, I was a good wife and mother. My husband worked hard and I made sure our children were brought up right. I’m so proud of my family. We live in a modest home outside of our small town. Mostly, I tied to help out people. I even became mayor as a way of giving back. I only hope that counts for something.

Deedle: Sorry, my pencil broke after the bit about your being a mother. Wow, so you have kids. I understand a lot of women here have kids, but now their little rug rats are a drain on our social service system.

Sierra: Mine wouldn’t be. Never. My husband will take good care of them.

Deedle: Boooring!!!! I can’t print that kind of stuff. How are you enjoying your stay here?

Sierra: This is horrible. It’s dirty and noisy most of the time. The food looks like someone made it out of paper-mache, but tastes like ground up gym socks. A lot of women here as physically ill and nobody cares. Farm animals get better treatment. We’re still human beings, no matter what any of us did.

Deedle: OK, so you don’t appreciate the amenities. Got it! (says under his breath – “ingrate”). Anything else you’d like to add?

Sierra: It’s just that I got a very harsh sentence so long ago. Things have changed and all I want is to be re-sentenced under modern guidelines. The judge back then had a personal vendetta against jay walkers. I’m sorry for what I did. I really am, but I want a chance to make up for things and being in prison won’t let me do that. It will just cost the tax payers of Michigan a lot of money and hurt my family.

Deedle: You do go on and on about yourself, don’t you? Ever think about how much better it make citizens here in Saginaw feel better to know if they do anything wrong; they too can expect to be punished beyond reason? No, I guess not. Your kind only thinks about living your lives. You need to know what it’s like to suffer, like we do who can’t move out of Saginaw.

Sierra: Mr. Bohmm Deedle, I just want to say I am regretful of my past and hope someone in the legal system sees I deserve a second change.

Deedle: Sorry, I can’t print that either. My column space has run out. Six inches, that it. The editor needs to run a hemorrhoid care ad underneath. I’ve got what I need. We have things to sell and newspapers don’t print themselves. Good day, Ms. LaPayLyn.

The Newspaper Article:
Sierra LaPayLyn, a women that ran out on her deserved prison sentence thirty some odd years ago is still not comprehending why she is back in prison or that what she did was so very very wrong. Denial and out-and-out lies are her only companions. I now name her “Escapee Parent”, so people can have something to call her without thinking about her real name or as a person.

Before she was brought to justice, she lived in a 13 million dollar castle with a full time staff of maids and butlers that attend to her every need. It isn’t like that now. She lives in the iron bar motel. Haha, haha, haha! She is basically like a Martha Stewart, except with a human soul.

She escaped thirty years ago by digging a tunnel and carving a bicycle out of soap to ride to a fancy life in Alaska.

Her crimes back then, as told to me by someone who may have glanced at her old file included walking across a nearly deserted street in broad daylight. But did she look both way? No one knows, but if she didn’t, it makes the crimes all the worse. There are a host of other crimes she could have committed, too horrible to mention in a family newspaper. She was never charged with any of those, but if my source says she could have been involved in them, then who an I to try to verify the facts before I write about them? A source is a source and all I need to do it say I’m quoting from my source and my editor can’t beef about it. He’s all “journalistic ethics” and everything, but I’m covered.

She once rode in a shiny Cadillac Hummer Beemer car thing, with gold plated door handles, but now she is paying her dept to Michigan and there are no people to pick up her orange peels.

By Bohmm (where’s my Pulitzer) Deedle

Disclaimer: Bohmm Deeddle is a well respected journalist and has been know to occasionally report actual facts. His average of fact to column space is rated as being quite high compared against other journalists that say work for the Saginaw Shopping News or even the National Inquirer- nearly one and half facts per paragraph. His Peabody award is assumed to be in the mail.

As far as Susan LeFevre, who this blog is not about, you could write a letter to Judge Crane as say she is deserving of probation and should be immediately released at the address below:

Honorable William A. Crane
Saginaw County 10th Circuit Court
111 S. Michigan Avenue
Saginaw, Michigan 48602
Reference Case No. 74-00284-FY