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Repeat Defendant Sentenced To Attend Church

By Howard Friedman

The Quad City Times and Quad Cities Online report that in Davenport, Iowa last Wednesday, Scott County Associate Court Judge Christine Dalton sentenced Pachina Tehran Hill, as part of his probation, to attend the men's counseling program at Third Missionary Baptist Church in Davenport and to attend church services there for eight consecutive weeks. Easter services yesterday was the first mandatory service. Hill's attorney proposed the counseling alternative, and prosecutor Marc Gellerman requested that the church attendance requirement be added. Hill agreed. Rogers Kirk, pastor at Third Missionary Baptist, will report to the court on Hill's progress in the program. Hill has been arrested more than 60 times and has been in and out of jail since he was 14. The latest sentence grows out of a prosecution on a number of charges after police tried to stop Hill for traffic violations. He led them on a chase from Rock Island to Davenport, where he stopped his car and tried to flee on foot. At the time he was already on probation for similar violations.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on March 24, 2008 (boomark / email).