Wednesday » June 18, 2014
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Vol. No. 115 Issue 281
The Daily Sentinel • $1
❧ Home of Stephen F. Austin State University
NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS
State: Perry California dreamin’? » 3A
SFA camp: Football fundamentals » 1B crime
Since May 2011 there have been 500 cases disposed through deferred-probation sentences,
What exactly are microgreens? Tiny edible greens grown from vegetable or herb seeds.
including for offenses such as
In Yum! SFA chef Michael Cid shares some of his recipes using ingredients from the Farmers Market » 1C
aggravated robbery, sexual assault
of a child and deadly conduct.
Coming soon Fit over 50 in Thursday’s health page.
What is deferred probation? Deferred probation is a special form of judge-ordered community supervision that permits the defendant to accept responsibility for a crime without automatically suffering all of the consequences of a formal finding of guilt and sentence. The judge literally defers a decision on the defendant’s guilt, places the defendant on a period of supervision, and imposes certain contractual conditions designed to rehabilitate or punish the defendant and protect the public. Not all defendants are eligible to receive deferred probation.
farmers market
Mini greens pack punch of health By CHRISTINE BROUSSARD cbroussard@dailysentinel.com
T
iny fields of tightly packed seedlings form plastic container jungles of red and green as water trickles from a misting hose over microgreen shelves. It’s a humid summer morning, and workers at The Grazer’s Choice of Garrison are diligent to ensure the East Texas weather doesn’t roast or mildew their delicate baby vegetables. “Scientifically, microgreens have four to 40 times the nutrients because they are organic and alive,” said Brenda Ballard, owner of The Grazer’s Choice. “The energy you get from those live plants is incredible because it’s what your body is supposed to have. As an organic being, you’re supposed to be eating organic stuff.” Eaten at the stage just after sprout and before transplanting size, microgreens are tiny edible plants that are grown from vegetable and herb seeds. One tray of greens can hold a field’s worth of seeds and are harvested while they are still juvenile plants.
Source: Texas Bar Journal
Regular probation requires a finding of guilt followed by specific punishment of confinement and/or fine that is suspended. A defendant placed on deferred probation avoids a conviction or sentence because the judge is authorized Andrew D. Brosig/The Daily Sentinel to delay any A line of inmates from the Nacodoches County Jail are escorted into the 145th District finding of guilt or punishment Courtroom on June 6 in Nacogdoches. for as long as the defendant successfully fulfills the conditions of supervision.
District Attorney explains plea deals, cases involving repeat offender By PAUL BRYANT | pbryant@dailysentinel.com
The Nacogdoches County District Attorney’s Office since May 2011 has disposed of more than 500 cases through deferred-probation sentences, including for offenses such as aggravated robbery, sexual assault of a child and deadly conduct. “There are a few factors that go into the decision to give a defendant either kind of probation,” District Attorney Nicole LoStracco said. “Generally, someone with an extremely limited history will be offered deferred probation.
Someone with a slightly fuller history would be offered regular probation, and someone with a lengthy history would be offered prison time. However, there are some exceptions.” For example, prosecutors and criminal-defense attorneys must consider the strength of the state’s case before offering plea deals. “The primary question a prosecutor asks themselves when considering
Source: Texas Bar Journal Deferred probations by court Since May 2011
289 Judge Campbell Cox 145th
249 Judge Ed Klein 420th
Probation » 4A
“If the state has a relatively weak case, and there is a concern that a jury would likely not convict the defendant and they might walk away with no punishment, probation would be considered. It effectively becomes the lesser of two evils in that a prosecutor would rather have the ability to keep an eye on the defendant for the term of probation, rather than allow the defendant to walk away with a not-guilty (verdict).” Nicole LoStracco • district attorney
Steering away from the ‘American diet’
Ballard and her daughter, Stephanie, began the microgreen operation about
project turnaround
32 graduates receive GEDs Program’s students make first steps in improving their lives
N
ervous laughter could be heard around the back room behind Kennedy Auditorium Tuesday night as Project Turn-Around GED graduates put on their caps and gowns. There were 32 graduates who walked across the stage and received their GEDs. “Move your tassel to the right Classified » 1D
89/70 » 5C
SFA employee allegedly hurt during incident By PAUL BRYANT pbryant@dailysentinel.com A Nacogdoches business owner on Tuesday posted $10,000 bond after being charged in the alleged robbery of an SFA employee. “We have a basic information report but the investigation is ongoing,” said Chief Jim Sevey of the NacogdoHudson ches Police Department. “We are still interviewing people and gathering information. I regret this guy got hurt.” Mark Porter, 54, the technical director for SFA’s School of Theatre, said Nacogdoches Hardware and Rental owner Willie Hudson was acting “bizarre” when he assaulted him at Cole Art Center on Monday and stole his keys. “He came around and started whining about the way I parked,” Porter said. “Every year at the Texas Blueberry Festival, we are the ones dressed up in costumes — as dragons and fairy-tale characters. I was at the Cole Art Center for the costume shop to load up the stuff when (Hudson) complained I was parked in a fire zone.” Diagnosed with cancer in December 2010, Porter said he received hospital treatment for bruises to his face following the attack on Monday. “He actually threatened to ram my truck with his truck, and then he fell on the ground and claimed to have a back injury, which was really bizarre. I think that lasted half an hour. I just have some bad bruising,
Bizarre » 3A
Inside: The Daily Sentinel weighs in on deferred probation in Nacogdoches County » Opinion, 4C
Micro » 6A
By Kim Foli kfoli@dailysentinel.com
Victim: Hudson acted ‘bizarre’
side,” John Malloy said to a graduate before walking outside to take graduation photos. He’s a teacher with the program, and he was just as excited as the students. Seated at a table, painting her nails a light shade of pink, Allyssa Ginger asked if anyone else was nervous. They all said they were. The 18-year-old Houston native is homeless and has
Comics » 6C
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been living at GODTEL for the past month or two. She said she dropped out of high school shortly after her 17th birthday when she was a senior. “I came down here to live with my brother,” she said, adding that her living situation was stressful, which prompted her to move into GODTEL. Her brother, however, pushed
Dear Abby/TV » 4B
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GED » 5A
Allyssa Ginger, 18, seated left, laughs with classmates Victor Mercado, back left, Esther Cook, center, and Ashley Blacksher before the 2014 Project TurnAround Commencement on Tuesday at Kennedy Auditorium at Stephen F. Austin State University. Ginger, who lives at the GODTEL shelter and spends her days in local libraries, was one of 32 graduates to receive General Educational Development diplomas from the program, sponsored by the Greater East Texas Community Action Program. Andrew D. Brosig/The Daily Sentinel
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