People are speaking out against Texas’s justice system after a man was given a 70-year prison sentence for spitting at police.
Larry Pearson, 36, was charged with 2 counts of harassment of a public servant and handed a 70-year life sentence, Wednesday. According to TMZ, Pearson is accused of spitting at 2 Lubbock police officers who arrested him in May 2022 on domestic violence charges following an incident with a woman who said Pearson hit her in the face.
Prosecutors alleged that Pearson became irate after finding out the woman was not being taken in too, and that is when the spitting began, reports note. Pearson reportedly kicked at the doors inside the cop car and spit at the cops when they opened the car door. According to prosecutors, Pearson continued spitting at officers upon arrival at the Lubbock County Detention Center.
Pearson reportedly had prior convictions for
“family violence and aggravated robbery”
and, consequently, the
“minimum sentence the jury could impose was 25 years,”
reports reveal. During the trial’s closing arguments, prosecutor Jessica Gorman asked the jury to
“send a message”
to not only Pearson but to
“society.”
Pearson was handed a 70-year sentence that has been stirring up outrage amongst the Twitter community.
Rapper Meek Mill has since spoken out about the harsh sentencing,
“Nah this action level!!!!! Ain’t no way they can give us that much time for a misdemeanor like spitting… ion care what they gone try to say his record is! No regard for black life in that courtroom,”
he tweeted.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
