NEWS
MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
Add Your Event
OPINION
AREA LIFE
- Businesses
- Entertainment
- Events
- Seniors
- Sports
Events Calendar
Podcast

MD Higher Education Commission Near Completer

Editorial: Judge Hackner Lets Another One Go

John Frenaye | June 30, 2011, 11:58 AM | 3 Comments

The Maryland Gazette reports that Judge Paul Hackner has decided to ignore sentencing guidelines by giving an 18 month sentence to a man who should have received from five to sixteen years.

Marquis McKnight, 18, pleased guilty to first degree assault and several counts of second degree assault. Last summer, McKnight pistol whipped an elderly man and held a loaded handgun to a woman’s head during a robbery.

The Gazette quotes Hackner upon sentencing McKnight, “I don’t know whether you’re a ticking time bomb or whether you’re a guy who’s going to straighten up. I’m hoping it’s the latter.” The judicial system should be managed on more than the hopes of a judge for a man who has shown no respect for the law or the citizens of Anne Arundel County.

Hackner is no stranger to weak sentences and criticism from Eye On Annapolis. And McKnight is no stranger to the penal system. He has had four prior run-ins with the juvenile court system for robbery and drug possession.

Is Anne Arundel County becoming the preferred county for criminals? It certainly seems that the police department does all they can to take the bad guys off the street, yet the judiciary puts them right back on–and in the case of Judge Paul Hackner, he sometimes gives them money to boot!

When elections come up, the judicial races are of paramount importance. The terms are 15 and 20 years, depending on the bench and the judges, more than the politicians, have the ability to shape the lives of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.

What do you think? Please leave a comment!

Tags: Anne Arundel County, Hackner

Category: Crime News, NEWS, OPINION

About the Author - John Frenaye

John is the publisher and editor of Eye On Annapolis. As a resident and business owner in Anne Arundel County for nearly 25 years, he realized that there was something missing in terms of community news–and Eye On Annapolis was born in late spring 2009.

John’s background is in the travel industry as a business owner, industry speaker, and travel writer. In terms of blogging and social media, he cut his teeth with MSNBC.com.

Connect with the Author

Comments (3)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

Johnaton Perkins says:

June 30, 2011 at 12:39 pm

if your dad is Judge Worchester in PG county im sorry.
Mike Willis says:

July 2, 2011 at 12:00 am

The only thing outrageous about this whole situation is that folks act so very surprised every time something like this happens…. or every time one of these sub-humans commits one of these crimes. Start paying attention. This kind of thing happens several times a year in your neighborhoods and schools. That is NOT normal in a civilized society. I can’t fathom why decent people allow this to continue.

I moved my son out of there to a normal area and he took months to adjust to being able to go places at night without anxiety. Thank God I got him out before he became inured to what you all have come to accept as a normal state of affairs: unspeakable violence at the hands of what are essentially the steroid version of spoiled brat children.

I have no sympathy for any of you. Quit whining about it as if there’s nothing that can be done. Grow a set and either fix it or move away and abandon these jokers to all kill each other.
Same old Same old says:

July 22, 2012 at 5:52 pm

Just another example of a poor judge. All of his cases should be reviewed by an outside federal grand jury and determined if there is any bias- racial or by gender. Terrible, just Terrible!