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JUSTICE FILES |
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If anyone has any information concerning the events that transpired on
June 9, 2002 concerning the death of Joelle DuMoulin please contact:
Investigator Robert Stampfli at 518-583-7000 or you can e-mail:
Info@JoelleDuMoulin.com.
Any information you can share would be greatly appreciated. |
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| The family of Joelle DuMoulin wish to
thank: Investigator Robert Stampfli, for his professionalism in
investigating the murder of Joelle. Investigator Stampfli and his team
of experts brought to the District Attorneys office the evidence which
led to the following: |
| On Wednesday, the Saratoga County grand
jury indicted Christopher Bliss on five felonies. |
| Christopher Bliss was indicted on
felony charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular
manslaughter, first-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent
homicide and second-degree vehicular assault in connection with the
death of Joelle Dumoulin. |
If convicted on the second-degree
manslaughter charge, Bliss could face up to 15 years in prison.
We would also like to thank Mr. Jim Davis, Assistant District Attorney,
and Beverly for their understanding in our time of sadness. |
| Mr. Jim Davis, will be the Assistant
District Attorney in charge of the trial and conviction of Christopher
Bliss. |
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| Tooker & Carson Sentenced: Tuesday,
November 6, 2002 Terry Tooker and Jason Carson appeared before Judge
Clothier at the Corinth Town Court, for sentencing of their involvement
in the tragic death of Joelle DuMoulin, on June 9, 2002. |
| Appearing at the sentencing was Jim
DuMoulin, Joelle’s father, Jarrett DuMoulin, one of Joelle’s brothers,
and Mr. Jim Davis, prosecutor from the District Attorneys Office. Mr.
Jim Davis asked that Jim DuMoulin be allowed to speak at the sentencing.
Judge Clothier allowed Jim DuMoulin that opportunity. |
| Joelle’s father asked that instead of
paying the $250.00 fine to N.Y. S. Tooker, and Carson buy a flower for
each dollar fined, and place those flowers at Joelle’s grave in Tupper
Lake, New York. |
| Judge Clothier said "he fine must be
payable to New York State, however, since both defendants have waived
their right to an appeal, agreed to visiting Joelle’s grave and pled
guilty to the charges I am ordering the following." |
| Both Tooker and Carson are charged with
a misdemeanor – of road racing, fined $250.00 on these charges. In
closing Judge Clothier stated to Tooker and Carson, "You both have a lot
to live with, and it would be common decency for you to also bring
flowers when you visit the gravesite of Joelle". Judge Clothier further
stated that you must inform Mr. DuMoulin and me of your visit. |
| Terry Tooker and Jason Carson were
operating the other vehicles in the early morning hours of the tragic
crash. Another passenger that was in the vehicle operated by Bliss was
gasping for air when Terry Tooker cleared her air passage making it
possible for her to breathe again. Joelle was killed instantly and as
Terry Tooker stated, "there was nothing I could do for her." |
| We have received many e-mails stating
that the charges of manslaughter against Bliss in not enough. Joelle’s
family certainly agrees with all of you, unfortunately the other
passenger in that vehicle does not have a recollection other than
getting into the truck. Joelle’s family believes that she was screaming
for her life before the truck crashed killing her, however without first
hand knowledge of that situation a first degree murder charge could not
be handed down. |
| We understand that the other passenger
has retained a personal injury attorney, and we ask that you continue to
pray for her too, as she struggles down her road to recovery. |
| We also ask that you pray that the
maximum sentence against Bliss be upheld, we would be heartbroken at a
plea bargain. |
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Jim Davis:
sardadat4@govt.co.saratoga.ny.us
Beverly: sardadat12@govt.co.saratoga.ny.us |
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Bliss's Petition Dismissed By Court:
Appearing, March 25, 2003 before The Honorable Judge Scarano, was
Chirstopher Bliss accompanied by his court appointed attorney, Mr.
Hogan. Bliss, using his right as a defendant asked for what is called a
Huntley Hearing.
At a Huntley Hearing the defendant along with his attorney attempts to
have his confession nullified. In Bliss’s case, the request to nullify
his confession was dismissed by Judge Scarano.
Testifying for the people were Trooper Murray and the lead investigator
Mr. Robert Stampfli. Investigator Stampfli testified that the statement
taken from Bliss was done in compliance with all of his civil rights. At
no time was Bliss not advised of his Miranda rights, incarcerated,
coerced or forced to make the statements as compiled and attested to on
June 13, 2003 at the New York State Police Headquarters in Wilton, New
York.
Judge Scarano scheduled a conference for Thursday, April 3 to establish
a trial date.
If you have not done so yet please complete the petition in support of
Joelle. If you go to the home page you can click on the link at the
bottom to sign the petition. |
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Monday, May 19, 2003 Bliss found guilty
by a Jury of his Piers:
In Saratoga County Court the jury found Christopher Bliss GUILTY
on all counts, including MANSLAUGHTER, WRECKLESS ENDANGERMENT and
CRIMINALLY NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE in the death of JOELLE DUMOULIN. |
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Monday, July 14, 2003
WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?
Today in Saratoga County Court, Judge Scarano imposed sentence on
Christopher Bliss in connection with the death of Joelle DuMoulin.
Bliss’s attorney, Mr. Hogan petitioned the court to “Remember that
Christopher Bliss was only eighteen years old at the time of this
tragedy and asked that Bliss be sentenced as a youthful offender.
Judge Scarano dismissed the petition for youthful offender status. This
only means that these charges will be on Bliss’s record.
Prior to sentencing and in accordance to the victims rights, Jim
DuMoulin, Joelle’s father asked that the District Attorneys Office read
the following statement prior to sentencing.
Your Honor,
How can I even begin to express to you the impact that the death of my
sixteen year old daughter has made on my family. As her father, a
brother, an Aunt, an Uncle, the friends she left behind, how do we go on
with our daily lives. It saddens me to say that June 9, 2002, will
forever remain in our hearts. Everyday that passes without Joelle has
left a void which no family should ever feel. We can no longer look
ahead to the special times we should have been able to share with Joelle.
Her birthday, her wedding, the birth of her child. This was all taken
from us by Christopher Bliss. Your honor our children should be burying
us.
Over the past year we have been morning the death of Joelle. Not a day
goes by that we do not think of her and cry, there is an ache in our
hearts which cannot possibly be described. We have looked for answers as
to why such a beautiful, young talented life would be ripped away from
us. Joelle was a loving, caring, giving young child and her life should
not have meant so little to someone so small as Bliss. Her life was
everything to us, her smile could light up a room.
Joelle was helpless; her life was in the hands of Christopher Bliss as
he raced down Angel Road... His ego would not allow him to think for one
moment about Joelle or her safety.
We all attempt to raise our children to be responsible adults, to admit
when they are wrong and accept the consequences for their actions.
Christopher Bliss has sat in your court and has continued to maintain
his innocence. He has made many excuses for killing my daughter, when
shown photographs of his vehicle he refused to look up at them.
Testimony showed that he in fact tried to turn over his truck while my
daughter was pinned in her death seat, what kind of monster would do
that. It was told to me that he insisted that he get out of the vehicle
first, “Forget Joelle, just get me out of here”.
Your honor, we will see those photos in our minds forever, we will be
haunted by the fear we know Joelle as feeling as Bliss was racing down
the road. Christopher Bliss will never see our tears, he killed my
daughter but he cannot have the wonderful memories that we do have of
Joelle, the memories that somehow get us through the day.
We have buried Joelle but we have not been able to put her to rest.
Joelle will not be coming home and I ask that you hold Christopher Bliss
responsible for his actions. I ask that you impose the maximum sentence
allowed by law against Bliss. Please your honor do not allow the system
to fail Joelle. We keep hearing about ZERO TOLERANCE, what message would
we be sending if we allowed Bliss to receive nothing less than the
maximum.
This was not just a tragic accident, there was no animal in the road, it
was not raining or snowing. In fact it was an egomaniac that was trying
to prove that he could take that turn like no one else has.
We all know that Bliss was not listening to Joelle’s voice when she was
screaming for her life. Please allow Joelle’s voice to be heard now.
Please hold Bliss accountable for his actions.
It is with great sadness that once again the system failed Joelle.
Judge Scarano imposed the following on Bliss:
MANSLAUGHTER 3 10 years
WRECKLESS ENDANGERMENT 2 1/3 7 years
CRIMINALLY NEGLEGENT HOMICIDE 3 ˝ - 10 ˝ years
Judge Scarano has stated that the sentence run consecutive.
This could mean that Bliss could be paroled and free after 3 years.
Joelle’s family feels that an injustice was served. They have many
questions:
What does it take for someone like Bliss to receive the maximum
sentence. Why do we spend so much of our state funding on programs like
DARE. What message are we sending when you can take a life and only
spend 3 years in prison.
Joelle’s family is in the process of drafting petitions to Judge Scarano,
The Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office, and to Bliss’s parole
officer. They will be placed on the website in the near future and once
again we will be coming to you for support.
Joelle’s family wished to thank all of you for your thoughts and
prayers, and just knowing that you were all there for us was a comfort
in our time of need. |
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Date of Information:
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07/29/03
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DIN (Dept. Identif.
Number) |
03A3889
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Inmate Name:
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BLISS, CHRISTOPHER A
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Sex:
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MALE
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Date of Birth:
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06/16/1983
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Race/Ethnicity:
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WHITE
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Custody Status:
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IN CUSTODY
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Housing/Releasing
Facility: |
DOWNSTATE
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Date Received
(Original): |
07/28/2003
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Date Received
(Current): |
07/28/2003
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Admission Type:
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NEW COMMITMENT
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County of Commitment:
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SARATOGA |
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Latest Release
Date/Type
(Released Inmates Only): |
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Crime 1, Description:
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MANSLAUGHTER 2ND
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Crime 1, Crime Class:
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C |
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Crime 2, Description:
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RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
1ST |
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Crime 2, Crime Class:
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D |
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Crime 3, Description:
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VEHICULAR ASSAULT 2ND
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Crime 3, Crime Class:
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E |
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Crime 4, Description:
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Crime 4, Crime Class:
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If all 4 crime fields
contain data, there may be
additional crimes not shown here. In this case, the
crimes shown here are those with the longest sentences. |
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Aggregate Minimum
Sentence: |
003 Years, 06 Months,
00 Days |
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Aggregate Maximum
Sentence: |
010 Years, 06 Months,
00 Days |
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Earliest Release Date:
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05/31/2006
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Under certain
circumstances, an inmate may be released
prior to serving his or her minimum term and before the
earliest release date shown for the inmate.
See "Help" for further information. |
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Earliest Release Type:
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PAROLE ELIGIBILITY DATE
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Parole Hearing Date:
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03/2006
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Parole Hearing Type:
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INITIAL RELEASE
APPEARANCE |
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Parole Eligibility
Date: |
05/31/2006
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Conditional Release
Date: |
12/01/2009
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Maximum Expiration
Date: |
05/31/2013
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Maximum Expiration Date
for Parole Supervision: |
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Post Release
Supervision
Maximum Expiration Date: |
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Parole Board Discharge
Date: |
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| Date of Information: |
04/07/04 |
| DIN (Dept. Identif. Number): |
03A3889 |
| Inmate Name: |
BLISS, CHRISTOPHER A |
| Sex: |
MALE |
| Date of Birth: |
06/16/1983 |
| Race/Ethnicity: |
WHITE |
| Custody Status: |
IN CUSTODY |
| Housing/Releasing Facility: |
WASHINGTON |
| Date Received (Original): |
07/28/2003 |
| Date Received (Current): |
07/28/2003 |
| Admission Type: |
NEW COMMITMENT |
| County of Commitment: |
SARATOGA |
| Latest Release Date/Type (Released
Inmates Only): |
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| Crime 1, Description: |
MANSLAUGHTER 2ND |
| Crime 1, Crime Class: |
C |
| Crime 2, Description: |
RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT 1ST |
| Crime 2, Crime Class: |
D |
| Crime 3, Description: |
VEHICULAR ASSAULT 2ND |
| Crime 3, Crime Class: |
E |
| Crime 4, Description: |
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| Crime 4, Crime Class: |
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| If all 4 crime fields
contain data, there may be additional crimes not shown here. In this
case, the crimes shown here are those with the longest sentences. |
| Aggregate Minimum Sentence: |
003 Years, 06 Months, 00 Days |
| Aggregate Maximum Sentence: |
010 Years, 06 Months, 00 Days |
| Earliest Release Date: |
05/31/2006 |
| Under certain
circumstances, an inmate may be released prior to serving his or her
minimum term and before the earliest release date shown for the
inmate. See "Help" for further information. |
| Earliest Release Type: |
PAROLE ELIGIBILITY DATE |
| Parole Hearing Date: |
03/2006 |
| Parole Hearing Type: |
INITIAL RELEASE APPEARANCE |
| Parole Eligibility Date: |
05/31/2006 |
| Conditional Release Date: |
12/01/2009 |
| Maximum Expiration Date: |
05/31/2013 |
| Maximum Expiration Date for Parole
Supervision: |
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| Post Release Supervision Maximum
Expiration Date: |
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| Parole Board Discharge Date: |
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Bliss to appear before the parole board
Once again, The DuMoulin family is coming to you for your support of Joelle.
During the week of March 23, 2006 Christopher Bliss will be going before the parole board asking to be released from the Washington Correctional Facility, where he has been incarcerated since 07/28/2003.
It is our belief that he has only served the three years of his conviction which was related to the personal injury and not the death of the other passenger in his vehicle and for that he was charged with VEHICULAR ASSAULT 2ND a class E felony which carries a sentence of three years.
The DuMoulin family states that he has not served his sentence in connection with the death of Joelle. The jury deliberated and came back with a verdict of MANSLAUGHTER in the 2nd degree , a class C felony which carries a sentence of ten years, and RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT 1st degree , a class D felony which carries a sentence of seven years.
Our family is asking that you sign our petition and ask the parole board to hear Joelle’s voice and not allow Christopher Bliss to be paroled as he has only served three years of his 10 ˝ year sentence. Joelle’s father, Jim, her brother Jarette, and her Uncle Mark, will be meeting with the parole board in the near future and would like to take with them your petition of support.
You can sign the petition by accessing Joelle’s web site at: www.joelledumoulin.com on the home page you can click on please sign our petition, or you can also go directly to the petition by accessing: www.joelledumoulin.com/petition.asp here you can sign the petition for Joelle.
Again, thank you for your continued support of Joelle.
Bliss was denied his parole by the parole board (Thursday, April 6, 2006)
The DuMoulin family wishes to thank the many individuals for
taking the time to sign Joelle's petition. Your voices were heard and Bliss
was denied his parole by the parole board. He will be serving two more
years of his sentence until he goes before the board again.
We realize that
without the tremendous support that you have shown, Joelle's voice might not
have been heard. However, with your support Joelle's voice was heard loud and
clear, and we were able to send 281 names on our petition to the parole
board.
Again, thank you for your continued support, and we will certainly
keep you posted on any further developments should they arise.
March 13, 2008 Bliss denied parole
On Thursday, March 13 Christopher Bliss appeared before the parole board, requesting again that he be released on parole. The parole board once again denied his parole.
The DuMoulin family wishes to thank all of you who signed the petition for Joelle requesting that Bliss not be released on parole. We believe in our hearts that your support helped with the decision that was made.
Below is the most updated information on Bliss.
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DIN (Department Identification Number)
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03A3889
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Inmate Name
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BLISS, CHRISTOPHER A
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Sex
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MALE
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Date of Birth
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06/16/1983
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Race / Ethnicity
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WHITE
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Custody Status
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IN CUSTODY
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Housing Releasing Facility
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HUDSON
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Date Received (Original)
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07/28/2003
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Date Received (Current)
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07/28/2003
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Admission Type
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NEW COMMITMENT
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County of Commitment
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SARATOGA
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Crimes of Conviction
If all 4 crime fields contain data, there may be additional crimes not shown here. In this case, the crimes shown here are those with the longest sentences.
As of 03/16/08
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Crime
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Class
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MANSLAUGHTER 2ND
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C
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RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT 1ST
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D
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VEHICULAR ASSAULT 2ND
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E
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Sentence Terms and Release Dates
Under certain circumstances, an inmate may be released prior to serving his or her minimum term and before the earliest release date shown for the inmate.
As of 03/16/08
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Aggregate Minimum Sentence
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003 Years, 06 Months, 00 Days
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Aggregate Maximum Sentence
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010 Years, 06 Months, 00 Days
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Earliest Release Date
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12/01/2009
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Earliest Release Type
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CONDITIONAL RELEASE DATE
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Parole Hearing Date
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03/2010
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Parole Hearing Type
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REAPPEARANCE
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Parole Eligibility Date
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05/31/2006
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Conditional Release Date
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12/01/2009
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Maximum Expiration Date
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05/31/2013
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