Kenneth W. Pratte
Kenneth W. Pratte was the presiding circuit court judge for the 24th Circuit Court in Missouri. He is the longest-tenured judge in St. Francois County, having taken the bench in 1982. His final term was to expire in 2018, but he would have reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2015.[1][2] As a result, Pratte stepped down on December 19, 2014.[3]
Elections
2012
Pratte ran unopposed and was re-elected to the 24th Circuit Court, Division 2.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title[4]
- See also: Missouri judicial elections, 2012
Education
Pratte received both his undergraduate degree and his J.D. at the University of Missouri.[5]
Career
Before he became a circuit judge, Pratte was a partner with Williams & Pratte. He was admitted to the bar in 1978.[6][5]
Noteworthy cases
Judge hands down 15-year sentences for siblings caught growing marijuana
Judge Pratte sentenced siblings Natalie and David DePriest to 15 years in prison each for growing 20 marijuana plants in their home. Prosecutors claimed that the plants signaled a large, drug-dealing operation, but the DePriests said they only grew the plants for personal use.[7]
The illegal garden was discovered in 2011 by a maintenance man who was in the DePriests' condo. He noticed the plants and an object that he thought was a pipe bomb, so he informed the police. The police came to secure the building, initially finding that there was no bomb, but they returned with a search warrant and found the plants, 3 pounds of dried weed, an illegal rifle, two legal pistols, bulletproof vests and ledgers indicating up to $8,000 a month in sales. David said that the ledgers were from poker games and that he owned the guns as a hobby.
The DePriests hired a marijuana reform activist to represent them in court, Dan Viets. He is the head of the Missouri NORML Legal Committee and Show-Me Cannabis, both of which are dedicated to marijuana legalization and policy reform.
After fighting the case for two years, the DePriests ran out of money and plead guilty in November 2013 to cultivating over 5 grams of marijuana and intending to distribute it. Judge Pratte imposed the maximum sentences--15 years for each charge (a total of 30 years per person), but served concurrently. That amounts to 15 years in jail for Natalie and 22 years for David, who got the extra 7 years for illegal gun possession. Viets stated:
| “ | In 27 years of representing people with marijuana charges, that is the longest sentence I have ever seen for people with no prior felony convictions for cultivating a few marijuana plants.[8] | ” |
| —David Viets[7] | ||
However, prosecutor Jerrod Mahurin said that the two could have gotten off much easier. He explained:
| “ | There were multiple offers made that would have had them released in 120 days...But they felt that marijuana should not be illegal and will be legal soon, so they refused.[8] | ” |
| —Jerrod Mahurin[9] | ||
Mahurin also explained that the offenders would not serve their full sentences. He estimated that Natalie would actually be out in two to three years and David in seven.[9]
See also
- Missouri Circuit Courts
- Missouri 24th Judicial Circuit Court
- Judicial selection in Missouri
- Madison County, Missouri
- Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri
- Saint Francois County, Missouri
- Washington County, Missouri
External links
- Missouri 24th Judicial Circuit
- Bulletinman, Letter to the Commission on retirement, removal and discipline of judges, July 16, 2001
- The Daily Chronic, "Missouri siblings handed lengthy prison terms for small marijuana grow," November 15, 2013
- VLex, "Pledge of allegiance suit against St. Francois County Circuit Judge Kenneth Pratte dismissed," September 14, 2009
Footnotes
- ↑ Missouri Courts, "24th Judicial Circuit," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Daily Journal Online, "Judge reaches a new verdict after 36 years on the bench — retirement," December 26, 2010
- ↑ Daily Journal Online, "Judge Pratte retires after 32 years on the bench," December 23, 2014
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Unofficial primary candidate filing list"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Martindale, "Judge Profile: Kenneth W. Pratte," accessed April 17, 2014
- ↑ Leagle, "Black v. Bockenkamp," September 30, 1980
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Huffington Post, "Growing Pot Got These Siblings As Much Prison Time As Driving Drunk And Killing Someone," April 15, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Riverfront Times, ""We Support Ron Paul!" How Brother and Sister Pot Growers Got Really Long Prison Sentences," March 27, 2014
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri
State courts:
Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri
