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The Endangered Species: Common Sense

Dear Source:

An endangered species is a living organism in danger of disappearing from the face of the Earth if it is not protected and if its situation is not improved upon. As you would expect, the living organism would be dead and gone. In my opinion this applies to the use of plain old Common Sense!
As a Virgin Island resident, we all have a right to assume that the Justice System and the application of common sense can protect the law-abiding citizens of the Virgin Islands. The failure of this system directly places citizens in jeopardy. My point is the blatant disregard for common sense administered by Judge Leon Kendall.
We can count on reading the weekend comic strips and we can now count on reading about another episode of a repeating law breaker released by Judge Kendall and the offender is back to business as usual. Another car stolen, a residence break-in, or a tourist assaulted, all of which would have been curtailed had it not been for their release.
Let me recap a couple of the latest headlines. Just this last week a suspect was apprehended and identified as the rapist of a 77-year-old woman. Caught and yes, released. With more than a dozen armed robberies, burglary, arson, assault, and unlawful sexual contacts this offender was granted $15,000 bail from "Catch and Release" Kendall. The next event is a classic Judge Kendall insult to common sense. A man caught with a stolen SUV and released on his own recognizance. Immediately after the perpetrator was released he steals yet another car. Not only did this result in a high-speed chase it also included striking a pedestrian near Havensight. With all this criminal action tourists are going to either avoid our island or think we are the newest movie location in the Caribbean.
"Catch and Release" Judge Leon Kendall should be removed from the bench!
Let us bring back from near extinction the endangered common sense that we desperately need in our court system.

Larry Boecker
St. Thomas

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