WHY I love living in Montana. We may be 30 years behind the times on many issues but we DO tend to do the right thing. Like this..

https://www.krtv.com/news/mili...DLnoaSqYkLXZ4fyJigMw

Nice. I like it. But you know some aclu ambulance chaser will try to get those sentences overturned as cruel and unusual punishment.

A nice and just sentence. On a side note I've never got the "I am a war veteran" schtick. I would be scared shitless of getting my ass kicked by a real war veteran. Short of an ass kicking there's that whole public humiliation thing. Just you tube "stolen valor" and the fakes are made to look like ass holes in public.

Good. Serves as a warning to other phonies.

They're scum. More details, and the 2016 dates from the article are incorrect, the video in the OP is dated Aug 24, 2019.

https://www.greatfallstribune....olen-valor/93572238/

Judge deems courtroom lies an act of stolen valor

Andrea Fisher, anfisher@greatfallstribune.com
Published 5:51 p.m. MT Nov. 9, 2016 | Updated 10:08 p.m. MT Nov. 9, 2016

A local judge ordered a Cascade County man to complete community service and pay a fine for lying to the court about serving in the military in order to gain entrance into the Veterans Treatment Court.

Ryan Patrick Morris was originally charged with burglary and theft for allegedly stealing a television from an off-limits storage area at his rental property in April.

District Judge Greg Pinski, who presides over Veterans Court, found Morris to be in contempt of court Wednesday for the false statements he made during the court during the progress of that case.

“You stated you served in the military,” Pinski said, “that has not been verified.”

Morris admitted he made false statements to the court.

“I’d like to offer my deepest apology to any veterans out there that I’ve disrespected,” Morris said.

According to court documents, Morris told the court he was a veteran during his first court appearance in May. He elaborated during a subsequent hearing on Sept. 28 before Pinski.

The judge read back Morris’ statements from hearing transcripts, verifying that Morris told the court, “I’ve done seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Records show Morris also said he suffered from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder and had a hip replacement after being injured by an improvised explosive device, or IED. He indicated he wanted to take care of the charges against him as quickly as possible, according to records.

During the September hearing, Pinski told Morris, who was out on bond, to meet with the Veterans Court coordinator about admission to the program, however, the following day Morris was accused of violating bail conditions by carrying a firearm and consuming alcohol.

Court transcripts show he made an initial appearance after the alleged violations and said, “I’m a seven-time combat vet, special teams operator. I was actually at the Mayor’s Challenge. I’m actually on the outreach team for any homeless vets with Mayor Kelly.”

Records also show Morris refused to sign a release for the court to obtain an official service record. Morris’ father contacted the Veterans Court coordinator in October to say that his son never served in the military, though he tried several times, and that Morris previously lied about being a veteran in Georgia.

In addition to qualifying as contempt of court, Pinski ruled the false statements were also a matter of stolen valor. He noted the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 classifies falsifying military service to gain any sort of benefit, though the court did not have the power to bring federal charges against Morris.

Pinski said the disrespect Morris showed the court “pales in comparison” to the disrespect he showed the 441 Montana service members killed in the line of duty since the Korean War.

The judge ordered Morris pay a $500 fine and serve 30 days in jail, though he suspended the jail time and ordered Morris serve 441 hours of community service with a veteran service organization within one year — one hour for each of the fallen Montanans he mentioned.

Pinski further ordered Morris to notify the organization that his performing community service because he committed an act of stolen valor.

Morris is currently being held on $20,000 bail for the alleged bail violations, though the defendant sent a note directly to Pinski requesting his contempt hearing be held in early October to allow him to help his wife care for their newborn son in the wake of her scheduled cancer surgery.

The underlying burglary and theft case is still pending.

The Judge in this case is a good man. He is known to be compassionate and fair yet...DON'T cross him. He takes lying very personally.

Good sentence in my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
The Judge in this case is a good man. He is known to be compassionate and fair yet...DON'T cross him. He takes lying very personally.

Good sentence in my opinion.

You raise your hand in that man's Court Room and swear to "tell the truth, so help me God".
He expects it. I like the Judge already.

Then his sentencing on Stolen Valor?
I love the guy!


I wish we had a few of his type around here.

We have a few, very scant few that are pretty decent.


I'm due in Court at 9:00am in front of Judge Hooks.
Aggravated Battery case where one shin-head stabbed another skin-sead and some poor woman that was just walking by tryin' to enjoy the concert.
I bet I already know which way this case is going.
(you'll hear the flushing sound sometime around noon...)