Tacoma gadfly, political candidate and, of late, convicted felon Robert Jesse Hill got more bad news Thursday.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Katherine Stolz sentenced Hill to 364 days in jail for causing a commotion at a local bar in November. A jury earlier this week convicted Hill of a misdemeanor count of third-degree malicious mischief and three counts of fourth-degree assault.
To make matters worse for Hill, Stolz ordered him to serve the time after the 16 months in prison he received in February after being convicted of a felony count of intimidating a judge.
Deputy prosecutor Raymond Odell had requested the consecutive sentence, which Hill’s defense attorney, Robert Quillian, called excessive.
Quillian called his client “his own worst enemy” but said such a lengthy sentence was not warranted by the facts. Hill caused a scene at the bar one night in November, pushing and shoving some people who worked there and destroying some property, court records show.
The defense attorney recommended 90 days in jail to toll concurrently with Hill’s prison sentencing in the intimidating a judge case.
Given a chance to speak, Hill complained that Stolz should not have overseen the trial and improperly ignored his requests to step off the case. Hill said he’d met the judge on a previous occasion. Before pronouncing sentence, Stolz said she’d never seen Hill outside the courthouse.
The judge also ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with any recommended treatment.
Quillian then filed appeal paperwork on Hill’s behalf.
adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com
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blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
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