SENTENCE: Not a real penalty

Tuesday, a Coeur d’Alene judge in Kootenai County sentenced Richard Sovenski to six months jail time for misdemeanor battery. He was charged and found not guilty of felony malicious harassment, which is Idaho’s hate crime law.

So why is this newsworthy? Well, the six-month sentence comes with some very nice perks in Mr. Sovenski’s favor. The judge in this case allowed Sovenski to keep his day job at Metalcraft Mechanical in Hayden, where he specializes in HVAC engineering, and report back to jail at night. This includes working outside jail for up to 72 hours per week, with travel restrictions to and from work.

Since Mr. Sovenski is very close friends with the owners of Metalcraft Mechanical, he will barely serve any time in jail. Mr. Sovenski was to start serving his six-month sentence today.

DAVID CARLSON

Coeur d’Alene