Somehow, perhaps by name recognition alone, Democrat Champaign County's State's Attorney Julia Reitz got herself re-elected on November 8th. Seems Champaign County residents haven't had enough of innocent people getting killed because Julia Reitz likes to let bad people cop sweet plea deals so they can return to society to victimize still more people.
Yeah, that's a tough description, but if the shoe fits, it's a fair characterization. Julia Reitz has earned it, too.
Just ask the friends of Tiffany Allen, 37. Tiffany was a wonderful person. Right up until a man – Terry Smith – who should have still been in prison, killed her at her workplace Wednesday evening in Urbana.
Miss Allen had gotten herself and order of protection against Terry Smith, but police hadn't served it yet and frankly, Terry Smith didn't give a damn about a piece of paper.
Let's look at the career violent thug Terry Smith. From the News-Gazette:
Court records show that Mr. Smith had a violent past.
The residential burglary conviction that netted him a 12-year prison sentence in 2009 originally also involved a charge of home invasion alleging that he and another man forced their way into an apartment on Green Street in Champaign in October 2009 and held a gun to a man's head. He pleaded guilty to the lesser burglary charge and was released from on parole in late September 2015 from the Robinson Correctional Center.
He had four previous Champaign County convictions that also sent him to prison: attempted armed robbery in 2005, domestic battery with a prior domestic battery conviction in 2004, kidnapping in 2001, and aggravated battery to a pregnant person in 1999.
So, for a violent predator with convictions for attempted armed robbery, a domestic with a prior domestic, a kidnapping conviction and agg battery of a pregnant woman, soft-on-crime Democrat Julia Reitz agrees to plea bargain down a home invasion arrest to burglary and a 12-year sentence. She didn't even charge the guy with a felon in possession of a gun for a few additional years for this guy! Instead, this ne'er-do-well got out in six short years.
In Florida, Mr. Low-life would have caught a ten-year sentence enhancement for carrying a gun on top of a whole bunch of years for the home invasion. But then again, Florida's firearm violent crime rate was at historical lows until earlier this year when Florida's 10-20-Life law was rescinded. Illinois soft-on-crime prosecutors agree to plea deals that sentence home invaders to twelve years, and then we let them out in six so they can then kill productive members of society. But at least we've saved a few bucks from the Illinois Department of Corrections budget!
If little Julia had done her job and demanded a tougher sentence on a repeat violent predatory criminal, Miss Tiffany Allen would still be with us and Terry Smith would still be hanging out in a prison cell trying not to drop the soap in the shower.
There is one tiny bit of good news in this whole mess: Terry Smith did for society what soft-on-crime Democrat Julia Reitz didn't have the stones to do… Terry Smith suck-started the same illegally-obtained and -possessed pistol he used to kill Miss Allen.
Clearly, all the gun laws in the world didn't save Miss Allen.
And neither did a soft-on-crime Democrat State's Attorney.
Photos from News-Gazette.com.
While she is (was) very pretty and nice, she must have liked the bad boys. You play with vicious animals, you gotta expect to get bit. She got killed.
Too bad she didn't carry a gun on her. She might have lost her job instead of her life.
No she didn't that was my cousin she only seen the good in people. she tried to protect herself
She tried. Sadly, she failed.
But as Indirect Action wrote… " You play with vicious animals, you gotta expect to get bit. "
There is something wrong with anyone who dates a repeat violent felon with multiple dom. batteries. Glad he killed himself. Best thing he ever did in his pathetic life.
He hid his past life but when he started changing she tried to get away but he wouldn't let her go.. she only seen the good in people
Kassandra, if you live in Champaign County and you voted for Julia Reitz for State's Attorney then I would dare say that you are part of the problem.
Kassandra: My condolences for the loss of your cousin. She was a very pretty girl and a productive member of society. But you say he hid his past life? Didn't your family raise you to know who you are going out with at least a little before you go out on a date?
I raised my daughter to do just that, not that I really had to worry. Hell, I vetted her boyfriends in high school and college. Trust, but verify. My daughter is now married and is raising a family. She would never have consorted with any losers and doesn't to this day.
You say she saw the good in people. I say she was naive at best.
There's a reason Hollywood's portrayal of wonderful women making a bad boy become a good boy is called FICTION.
Sorry for your loss. Hopefully you and other women will learn if you haven't already. Check your boyfriends through the internet. It's not hard to see anyone's criminal history in today's day and age.
Sam
Damn shame. I do hope Kassandra has more sense than her cousin about who she spends her time and energy with. "She only seen the good in people". Well, maybe she should've opened her eyes to the whole person – including the content of their character. Terry Smith had no character. He was a predator who took. In this case, he took this woman's life. All for his selfish, effed up reasons.
Honestly, it's a hazard of dating convicts. Especially ones with a violent past.
The Humane Society puts down dogs with a violent past. It's too bad our criminal justice system doesn't so the same.