When Ernie Gomez was arrested in 2004 he was a week short of graduating to be a Honolulu police officer. He was found GUILTY earlier this year, and this week SENTENCED to 5 years in PRISON without parole for terroristic threatening - holding a semi-automatic handgun to his wife's head - and abusing his wife - who is a HawaiiAN Army National Guard Sgt. SOUNDS SERIOUS - SO MY QUESTION THEN WOULD BE WHY IS HE WALKING AROUND FREE ON $75,000 BAIL UNTIL HE EXERCISES THE PROCESS OF APPEALING THE SENTENCING? Keeping in mind he was found GUILTY - here is what his wife said happened: He threatened her with a knife and a gun. He ordered her to drive home if she wanted to see their 2-year-old daughter again and when they got home he pulled out a gun, pointed it at his wife's forehead, forcing her head back with it, as their 2-year-old cried nearby. He told her she had 1 minute to start talking before he killed her. He punched her and slapped her repeatedly - injuring her face and legs. He said, 'I'm gonna shoot you right now, but you're not worth it so I'm going to shoot you in the knees.'" He told her that if she ever reported what happened to the authorities, he would hunt her down and kill her. Because he told her the only way he would spare her life was if she left, she packed her bags, booked a flight and took a taxi to the airport - but changed her mind because she did'n't want to leave without her daughter.
Circuit Judge Michael Town - who has probably never had a gun to his head or been kicked around the floor as a grown man - acknowledged Gomez's military service but said he was BOUND BY THE LAW. "In my view it's certainly an onerous sentence to impose on somebody who's served his country honorably. You made a very bad illegal criminal mistake, but it is the law."
The judge MAY have HAD to sentence him, but I guess he didn't HAVE to actually lock him up!
There's no mention of MRS. Gomez's safety but then this isn't HER story is it? It's all about Gomez, his mistake, his appeal, his military service, the sad loss of a career - yada yada yada. Folks should walk a day in her shoes. It would be frightening for her even if he was in jail. And he's NOT.
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