(Tom) Ridge asks for leniency for man who assaulted toddler

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ERIE, Pa. -- An Erie-area man will spend four to eight years in state prison for severely assaulting his ex-girlfriend's toddler despite a letter requesting leniency from ex-Gov. Tom Ridge.

Mr. Ridge says in the letter that he is a neighbor of 21-year-old Matthew Lazenby, who lives with his parents in Millcreek Township. Mr. Ridge says in the letter that Mr. Lazenby is a "loving and nurturing father" despite his crime.

An Erie County judge sentenced Mr. Lazenby yesterday. He had previously pleaded guilty to shaking and striking the 23-month-old toddler last Halloween, fracturing her skull and causing neurological damage.

The victim is not Mr. Lazenby's biological child. He has a 2 1/2-year-old daughter.

Mr. Lazenby acknowledged problems with alcohol and anger management. His attorney argued for a three-year sentence.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09294/1007219-100.stm

---

Lazenby admitted to striking the girl in the head and shaking her so intensely that he fractured her skull, causing neurological damage, police said. Lazenby is not the girl's father.

"Clearly, if the defendant does not learn from this episode, there may be other victims," Connelly said. "My job is to protect the community from that happening."

Erie police said Lazenby became angry with the toddler, Autilli Teribery, when she became upset after her mother left her alone with Lazenby at the mother's Erie apartment. The injuries left Autilli developmentally disabled in speech and motor skills -- injuries that "might possibly be long-term," Connelly said.

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091021/NEWS02/310209906/-1/NEWS03

WTF Tom Ridge! Why go to bat for this jerk? Anyone who can do this to a child deserves one helluva long prison sentence IMHO.

On edit - Lazenby is "Loving & Nurturing" my ass!

[LynneSin]

1. Good, we can cross Tom Ridge off of every running for another public office again

Because this is something we would remind the voters again and again - Ridge apologizing for a child abuser.

[livetohike]

22. Yep, he is finished and my husband just said yesterday that

he thought Ridge would run for President. Not now. Or if he did, this is really good ammunition.

[derby378]

2. Eight years isn't long enough

Neurological damage? That kid may have problems for the rest of her life. Eight years, my ass.

By contrast, I could be sent to prison for ten years for owning a machine gun without NFA clearance. Even if I keep it securely locked in a gun safe. Even if nobody gets hurt. I would still get more time (in a Federal prison, mind you) for a nonviolent offense such as this than this soulless freak got for what is clearly a violent and malicious act.

[JoeyT]

23. You wouldn't even need that.

Get caught with a bag of weed in your pocket and you'll get far more than 8 years.
I'm guessing you probably wouldn't be able to convince a conservative politician to step up to bat for you either.

Hell, you can get more time in a federal prison for that for a whole bunch of nonviolent crimes that don't hurt anyone.

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. Think how many years you get for having some pot.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Going on a tangent. This is the type of story that causes me nightmares! My granddaughter lives with

her mother who lives with her boyfriend. My grandchild is almost 4 years old and the boyfriend and her mom have a daughter 10 months younger. The boyfriend dislikes my granddaughter because she has a different father. If he is ever caught hurting her, my son will try to kill him. I know most physically and mentally abused kids are harmed by men not their biological fathers.

[katkat]

15. sinkingfeeling

Can some family member take in your granddaughter?

[sinkingfeeling]

18. My son has her for the months of Feb., June, and October and every other weekend. The mother has

custody and she's a real ***** to deal with anyway. My granddaughter is showing some signs of psychological/adjustment problems. When she's up here with us, she is the center of attention. At home, she's the 'fifth wheel'.

[katkat]

28. thoughts

You folks have probably already thought of this, but would there be any way to convince the mother to let your son have full custody? She can't be that attached to her child if she's allowing her to be in this situation. I am thinking waving some money in her face, if you could afford that and reason, appeals to her "better nature," etc. doesn't work. Might she be keeping your granddaughter because it gets her child support payments? Perhaps trading an increase in alimony? (I know, this is dependent on having money...)

[sinkingfeeling]

30. Oh, the mother loves her child support from my son. We've been to court because they were never

married. She was working with my son and living with the same guy she's still with. They had a physical fight and my son allowed her to stay at his apartment for about 10 days. Then she announced she was pregnant and as soon as the baby arrived, the DNA tests were done, and my son was in court. She filed for child support in 3 different states, which has caused untold grief.

Her real boyfriend is does not work and claims SSI. The family gets food stamps and although my son pays an extra $100 a month to carry his daughter on his insurance, the children receive health care via SCHIP (again registered in 2 states).

There's no way she'll grant full custody to my son and give up the 'gravy train'.

[jus_the_facts]

4. This makes me literally ill... still waiting for trial in the murder of my 2mo. old nephew

...whose own father shook him so bad he broke his leg and ribs as his brain bled....as much as it hurts he didn't get to live very long...it was some consolation he wasn't disabled for life. I have grappled with my own feelings of vengence and now just hope (and have even prayed) justice gets served and he gets life w/o parole. :cry:

[Faygo Kid]

6. How terrible! All the best to you.

Awful. Please take care of yourself. Damn.

[jus_the_facts]

11. Thank You. It's the most horrific experience anyone should have to go through...

....it got even more horrific when we had to dig him up and move him to another grave after an unbalanced family member decided they wanted the plot which they'd relenquished years ago.

[RamboLiberal]

12. Sorry to hear about your nephew

This kind of thing has to make you even more furious than the rest of us when a politician chimes in for a cretin that horribly injured a helpless child.

I hope your nephew's killer does get life. He deserves much worse!

[jus_the_facts]

14. Thank You. Yes it does....and I believe he deserves worse too...

....I know beyond any shadow of doubt if I'd been at the hospital I'd have tried to get revenge before he'd been able to make his confession to the police. He's pled not quilty so we have to wait for the wounds to be ripped open again once they decide when they'll have the trial. It happened last May...at least they gave him a bond that couldn't be met and refused to reduce it too.

[BlueIris]

16. (((( jus_the_facts )))) nt.

[jus_the_facts]

17. Thank You.

:hug:

[pattmarty]

5. Easy. Ridge is a friend of the family (and I might add a true douchebag)........

........who without thought in his thick head just wobbled up and got on the stand and said "sure this hillbilly moron is a upstanding citizen. They BOTH ought to be shot.

[DemBones DemBones]

26. i thought you meant a friend of YOUR family -- don't scare me like that

:scared:

[pattmarty]

29. That's one problem with "print", it is easier to clarify when face to face.

You know that this type of thing happens hundreds of times a day in courts throughout the US. "Character witnesses" get on the stand and say what a good boy Johnny is and how he should not go to jail for shooting his mom "accidentally".:sarcasm:

[sasquuatch55]

7. WTF Ridge?

nt

[bluestateguy]

8. Attention all Pennsylvania Democratic consultants

File this one away in your "Tom Ridge" file. Just in case he decides to ever run for office again.

[RamboLiberal]

9. Exactly - Imagine if Rendell or any Dem sent this letter

There would be outrage in PA if not the US! Wonder if O' Reilly or Hannity would talk about. Be curious if the local wingnuts blowhards will talk about. Wonder if Sludge will post it?

[Myrina]

10. ... apparently Homeland Security only applies when foreign terrorists are involved ...

... but has nothing at all to do with keeping our citizens and children safe from homegrown monsters ... :(

[damntexdem]

13. So he fractured her skull in a loving and nurturing manner?

Mr. Ridge appears to be the one who is out of his skull.

[nashville_brook]

19. because privilege has its privileges -- nt

[happygoluckytoyou]

20. somebody's career just went OVER THE RIDGE ! ! !!

[tomm2thumbs]

21. 'allow me to get involved in something that has nothing to do with my office...'

oh yea, politics as usual

[skoalyman]

25. they should stick the mans head in a paint can shaker

and see how he likes it.:evilgrin:

[tomm2thumbs]

31. that is an interesting idea - will it blend?

[truthisfreedom]

27. Put him in prison until she fully recovers.

eye for an eye.