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14 May 2005
Dear Mike, You asked if I am under duress. Yes, I suppose I am. The current plea offer, which I will not accept, gives me five years in prison for admitting I assaulted three cops with a deadly weapon. I will not make such an admission. The previous "deal" which was never formally offered was probation in exchange for admitting I engaged in disorderly conduct, specifically that I recklessly handled or displayed a firearm. I believe a jury would convict me of that, so I am less reluctant to take such a plea. I don't know if that will be formally offered once the prosecutor interviews the other cops, but I hope it will be. By the way my minimum sentence if convicted of the current charges is 10 ½ years, not 7. Since the allegation involves guns to be used against cops, the presumptive is the minimum. I am being denied the right to a speedy trial. My trial date had been 17 May, but both lawyers are unprepared, so it has been moved to 27 June. Plea bargain negotiations will continue until then. Much depends on whether the other two “victim” cops tell the prosecutor that I succeeded in drawing my pistol and pointed it at one or more of the cops as Redmon supposedly has. If there is indeed a “blue wall of perjury”, I will have a very difficult defense. Yours, Kevin
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