Two illegal immigrants sentenced for shooting

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice* | June 20, 2008

Two illegal immigrants who were involved in shooting a man outside a Springfield apartment in April, during an ambush that was motivated by the shooter’s jealousy over a woman, were sentenced to prison terms Friday in Lane County Circuit Court.

The victim survived. Police made quick arrests and both men eventually pleaded guilty.

The pair had been in line to be released from the overcrowded Lane County Jail before their cases were heard in court, but because they were in the country illegally, they were kept in jail under a federal “hold” that put them in beds paid for by the federal government, Lane County District Attorney Doug Harcleroad said Friday.

Neither defendant had a criminal record. If not for their illegal status, they might have been released from jail because they were considered to be less dangerous than other inmates, Harcleroad said. The case is a graphic example of how the county’s public safety system has been eroded by budget cutting that has closed scores of jail beds, he said.

Fewer than 100 jail beds are available for local offenders and 48 of those are slated for closure under budget cuts planned for the fiscal year starting July 1, said sheriff’s Capt. Doug Hooley, who commands the jail.

Budget cuts already have forced closure of the county’s Forest Work Camp and reductions totaling hundreds of beds in alternative programs housing less-violent offenders, Hooley said.

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