Show Standard-Examin- Top of er Utanwest bunoay I'ovemoer l lyytt 5 b Per Convicted child molester returns to prison t BT1M GURR1STER Baica's stall Standard-Eramn- OGDEN - Still proclaiming his innocence convicted child molester Marco Baica Jr was returned to the state prison last week after asking a judge to re- t- duce his sentence Baica's request was denied by 2nd District Judge Roger Dut-so- n who sentenced him to up to 1 5 years in the Utah State Prison last month Earlier this year a victim accused Baica of sexually abusing her with multiple sex acts since was 5 or 6 years old Baica has consistently denied the charge and even passed a test Defense attorney Ron Perkins had hoped for a sentence reduction for Baica who pleaded - to guilty second-degre- three counts of felony child abuse e guilty plea is a Alford plea Developed recently in case law but still rarely used an Alford plea allows a defendant to plead guilty but sign an affidavit saying he pleaded guilty to avoid the risk of going to trial and facing a greater penalty if convicted there It's a calculated risk since judges tend to look harshly on defendants who won’t admit their guilt And Dutson said he believed Baica guilty “Even though this is a case where the victim’s accusatory statement is hard to refute my sentence was appropriate” Dutson said “He has committed some sick acts” Baica pleaded guilty to the second-degre- e felonies to avoid felotrial on seven nies Each of the former carried a 5 years-to-liprison potential first-degr- ee fe At sentencing Dutson said he wished he had seen two psychiatric evaluations on Baica instead of the single report available Perkins jumped at the chance and ordered a second examination It like the first found no tendencies toward sexual deviation in Baica Perkins argued in the reconsideration hearing that the case has always been one of Baica’s word against his 13 year-ol- d “The sentence is unduly harsh” Perkins argued before Dutson in pressing his motion for a reconsideration of Baica’s sentence this week “If we’re put- ting an innocent man in prison that is unduly harsh” “This has always been a ‘he said-sh- e said’ case There is no other evidence If none of us really know for sure we have to rely on the experts (the doctors who conducted the psychological exams) What else can we do but rely on the experts who find none of these tendencies he’s accused of” Deputy General Attorney Craig Barlow prosecutor in the case countered that Perkins was asking the judge to substitute “the evaluators’ judgement for the courts’” Barlow also pointed out the second evaluation like the first found Baica had “no recognition of the harm he caused the victim” Perkins countered that fact backs up Baica's Alford plea You can reach reporter Tim Gur at 625-423- or 8 Wilford Brimley speaks in favor of cockfighting on using dogs for hunting The Associated Press PHOENIX - Actor Wilford Brimley says there’s a simple reason voters should reject an initiative Tuesday to ban cockfighting: It’s the right thing to do The grandfatherly actor last seen in the movie “In & Out” didn’t use that exact phrase Tftlade famous in his pitches for Iftatmeal But he said Saturday at " downtown Phoenix rally Sgainst Proposition 201 that voters should reject it out of good common sense r “I’m trying to protect a life- Style of freedom and choice for tpy grandchildren” said Brimley $4 Polls show the initiative is almost certain to pass Brimley said the animal rights groups backing Proposition 201 have no right to dictate what oth-&- r people do He also said its passage could lead to other laws about animals including a ban E “My saddle horses are my friends” he said “My dogs are my friends Once an idea like this gets started I don’t know where it’s gonna end” In cockfights most popular in rural areas two roosters face off in a fighting pit often with sharp blades tied to their feet The birds goaded on by their cheering owners slash and peck each other until one dies The fights are most popular with retirees veterans and Mexican immi- grants cockfighters say Kim Hicks a spokeswoman for the Arizona Humane Society says cockfighters are trying to distract voters from the cruelty of cockfighting by calling Proposition 201 a threat to rural “This isn’t about anything except cockfighting” she said “We have no intention of telling Mr Brimley what he can or can’t do with his dog” Proposition 201 would make it a misdemeanor to attend a cockfight and a felony to own train or engage a rooster in battle Cockfighting is legal in Arizona and four other states: New Mexico Oklahoma Missouri and Louisiana Brimley who lives in Utah says he travels to Arizona to attend fights “They’re magnificent It's always thrilling to watch” said Brimley “Ounce for ounce these are the toughest game creatures on the face of the earth” About 50 cockfighters from across the state showed up at the rally held outside the Madison Street Jail They said the jail would be filled with otherwise cockfighters if the initiative passed “I’m 59 and I’ve never even been fingerprinted” said Bob Teverbaugh who sells fighting roosters and keeps more than law-abidi- 200 at his home in Safford Joe Medina a Phoenix cock-fight- er brought a Democratic Hatch rooster to the rally He said the law would require many fighting birds to be euthanized SMfiRfiTHON SIBLTSECDlirrDOOBS u “Why euthanize them when you can set them down and let them do what they do best” he said Turning Leaf SAVE $100 $39995 Hicks said the only way the roosters would be euthanized was if their owners brought them in to the Humane Society She said the group would try to find humane farmers to adopt any hens brought in “We would still very much encourage them to keep their roosters if they love them as much as they say they do” she said 1 INSTALLATION REBATE FORMULA I MODEL 1280R UfETIME MOIOR BkWARRANTVif fvUnuhJ MMsrai amc ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS CALL 625-433- 3 10 AM 4 "c OGDEN PM SAT 9 AM - Professkmal Line J£ f NOT VAIID WITH ANY OTHIR mm mm He OF NEWGATE WALL) (NORTH HRS: MON - FBI STREET Lift-Mast- er WE ARE DOOR OGDEN: 392-033- 6 154 WIST 36TH Just in time for the holiday OFffRS Vote NO on Proposition Don’t be fooled into giving up your voting rights! Join the following in opposing Prop 5 Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board Deseret News Editorial Board Ogden Standard Examiner Editorial Board Provo Daily Herald Editorial Board KSL Television Editorial Board U of U Daily Chronicle Editorial Board Congressman Merrill Cook Congressional Candidate Lily Eskelsen Former First Lady Norma Matheson Former Salt Lake Mayor Ted Wilson The League of Women Voters South Davis Area Chamber of Commerce United We Stand America Common Cause The Humane Society of Utah Wasatch Humane Society Great Salt Lake Audubon Predator Education Fund High Uintas Preservation Council Republicans for Environmental Protection UPNET U of U College Republicans and Democrats To learn the truth about Proposition 5 click on “legislative updates” at it What is Prop 5 Really About? A c The Answer The supporters of Prop 5 have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars proclaiming that its passage will protect Utah's wildlife heritage They might just as well have said it will also benefit mothers and apple pie While we all loe our wildlife apple pie and mothers none of them have anything to do with Prop 5 In fact passage of Prop 5 may actually harm wildlife if Utah voters arc denied the ability to decide w ildlife issues in the future Wildlife Mother B D Apple Pie Your Voting Rights Prop 5 is really about the efforts of a small but rich special interest group to reduce the voting rights of all Utahns in future initiative elections They want to amend Utah's constitution so that all citizen initiatives involving wildlife will require a 23 vote for passage while all other issues will require only a majority Regardless of how you feel about wildlife issues remember that if Prop 5 passes then future legislatures may increase or reduce the required percentage of votes on other important matters such as education taxes gun laws transportation or a host of other issues Your special concern may be next on the agenda Vote no on Proposition 5 to protect your vote and Utah’s wildlife (and who knows maybe even motherhood and apple nwwutahhumaneorg Paid for by the Utah Voting Rights Coalition pie) A — COPY 19 M t ? 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