The recent conviction and sentencing of Jeffrey Barton is a slap in the face of the concept of justice.
The Clark County prosecutor’s office originally charged Barton with illegal discharge of a firearm. Knowing that they could not achieve a conviction on that charge against an honest man defending his family and property, the charge was changed to obstruction of a law enforcement officer. The level of proof required to convict someone of that charge is low, so low that simply questioning an officer in the performance of his duty could result in that charge.
The change of the charge was simply an attempt by the prosecution to save face and win a conviction.
Reported in the March 25 story “Man gets 7 days in ‘Biden defense’ case,” Judge John Hagensen sentenced Barton to a week in jail and fined him $500. Barton is not someone from whom the community needs to be protected. Hagensen should have found that Barton has suffered enough at the hands of the “law” in Clark County and set him free with no fine.
