Youthful Offender for Autumn Maire Wood?

Several readers have asked what legal consequences Autumn Marie Wood faces. Will she be eligible for Youthful Offender status and will she receive it? First, here is the legal definition for "Youthful Offender."

You may be eligible for Youthful Offender Status under Alabama law. If you are under 21 years of age and have been charged with a criminal offense, you may be eligible to apply for Youthful Offender Treatment.

As a Youthful Offender, you waive your right to a jury trial and consent to be tried by the court without a jury. The court will perform an investigation and examination of your record and in its discretion, decide whether or not you will be treated as a Youthful Offender.

 If adjudged by the Court to be a Youthful Offender, the Court, in its sole discretion, may do any of the following:

1. Suspend the imposition or execution of sentence with or without probation; or 
2. Place you on probation not to exceed three (3) years and prescribe terms of said probation.
3. Impose a fine as provided by law.
4. Commit you to the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term of three (3) years or less, or if the crime with which you have been charged does not authorize a fine or sentence, in lieu or in addition to any fine, the court may also impose a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).
5. If the underlying charge is a misdemeanor, you may be given treatment or educational classes as provided by law.

We haven't consulted with our legal eagle friends on this matter, but we have seen others arrested for Felony Murder who have requested such status. Granting of such would depend on Wood's previous record and the opinion of the judge.

We've been told that Wood has had a troubled life, but our informant didn't know of any actual arrests. Assuming she has a clean legal record, the judge assigned to her trial would then make the final decision. Murder cases are usually held in Mike Jones' courtroom, and our guess would be that he would not grant Miss Wood that request.

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We've heard from a close friend of Brooklyn Ann Hollins' family. Brooklyn did not live primarily with her grandparents, but her mother and two brothers who reside next door to Brooklyn's grandparents. We're told that the family has no immediate needs, but we want to stress if anyone is organizing a fundraiser or something similar, please inform us so that we may publicize it.

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Yesterday we mentioned the recent break-ins in North Florence. The Connection has an excellent article on the events. Be vigilant and stay safe.

North Florence Intruder Timeline

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