A Light Sentence for a Heavy Loss

Now, I ain’t one to meddle in the affairs of courtrooms and city halls—except when they hand down justice the way a goose lays eggs– unpredictable, unceremonious, and sometimes a little soft in the shell.

News out of Washoe County has it that Mr. Christopher McDougal, the gentleman that ran down U.S. District Court Judge Larry Hicks in the bustling core of Reno last May, has now begun his penance. For taking the life of a man who had himself spent decades measuring out justice with a firm but even hand, McDougal got sentenced to spend thirty days in the county jail—a sentence shorter than some marriages and far less painful than a toothache.

Along with the jail stint, McDougal’s gotta perform 200 hours of community service, suffer through eight hours of traffic safety school–which is a punishment in its own right–and sit solemnly through a victim impact panel—likely full of tearful reckonings and the kind of heavy silences you can’t wriggle out of. Add to that a suspended driver’s license and a fine of $1,153, and you’ve got the full weight of justice resting on him like a featherbed on a sleeping cat.

Should Mr. McDougal, by mischief or misstep, fail to honor these conditions, he will face 180 days behind bars. Though I reckon, for now, he’s gettin’ the sort of second chance a fellow prays for when a mistake too great for comfort and tragic for remedy gets made.

The family of Judge Hicks offered thanks to the officers and attorneys who worked the case, calling the outcome a step toward healing. And perhaps it is.