Ten Years in Prison for Spitting on Cop
Judge uses discretion to sentence suburban man
Saturday, Aug 15, 2009 | Updated 12:45 PM CST
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Athletes can spit -- criminals cannot.
A little spit cost a suburban Chicago man 10 years in the clink.
Lacy L. Gilmore wil have 10 years in prison to think about why he spat on Waukegan police officer Joshua Amann during an April arrest.
After fighting with his ex-girlfriend, Gilmore, 36, decided to take his frustration out on the officer who put him the back of a squad car by sharing some of his saliva with Amann's mouth and face.
"As (Amann) was talking (Gilmore) spit right in his mouth," prosecutor Brett Henne said.
Convicted on a single county of aggravated battery, Associate Judge George Bridges used his discretion to sentence Gilmore by Class X guidelines rather than Class 2 felony because he had previous convictions for burglary.
Gilmore also spat on a Waukegan firefighter, but the jury did not convict him on that count.
Last week, a strict judge in Will County sentenced a man to six months in jail for yawning.
Beware, criminals, scratching may be next.
Copyright SunTimes
Posted Saturday, Aug 15, 2009 - 12:35 PM CST
