Today, Rushane Samuels pleaded guilty to attempted burglary (2) which carries a possible two year sentence. While Rushane accepted the plea bargain today, he will not be sentenced until April 3rd and, since this burglar was facing the Judge with a teary Mother at his side, he may be eligible for “youthful offender status.” Rushane’s mother left the courtroom bravely holding in sobs and never sharing a glance with her shackled son as he nearly attempted following her from the courthouse. I felt Mom’s pain and hoped that the young man learned a lesson through it.
In his plea, Judge Herrick had Rushane confess his crime….”what is it you did?” he asked. Looking at the ground, Rushane answered, almost more to his Mother than to the court, “I took something that didn’t belong to me.” Judge Herrick looked down his nose at Rushane, “you stole, right?” Yes, Rushane stole and Rushane will be paying the price. He along with Jamil Fate and another youth, according to a staff report at the Times Union, broke into a house at 192 Tampa Avenue and stole stole a 42-inch flat screen television, a game station, iPod, BB gun, autographed baseball cards and assorted jewelry.Now, you’ve gotta wonder why so many cases seem to come to the District Attorney’s office to die a lonely and silent death but this crime, which was committed on December 14th with the kiddos being picked up January 30th and swift justice being doled out today…it seems that the kiddos picked the wrong house to break into. The house was that of John Branigan…who was the Great and Powerful Albany County Budget Oz.
