For about three decades, Pannell raised a family and worked as a research library assistant near Toronto under the alias of Gary Freeman. He had been fighting extradition since 2004. A graying Pannell, now 58, wore a hearing aid in each ear as Circuit Judge Daniel Darcy placed him on 2 years' probation in addition to imposing 30 days in jail. An attempted murder charge was dismissed.
The police officer shot did not die, but lost much of the use of an arm and had to retire early from the force. The officer himself was one of the people who came up with the idea of a payment into the fund as part of an agreement to lighten the sentence, figuring nothing would be served by the man spending a lot of time in jail. Joseph Pannell has already served over six years in custody in Canada, where he fled to after the crime, and the US. The fund helps support families of officers who are severely wounded in the line of duty, including scholarships for their children. It is the largest payment ever made to the fund.
No comments:
Post a Comment