Drunk girl wanders in to home, unarmed, is shot and is being charged.
Do you feel she should be charged?
Quote:
Posted: May 27, 2012 6:39 AM PDTUpdated: May 27, 2012 7:16 AM PDT
By MARISA TAYLOR
A drunk woman will be charged with felony trespassing after she wandered into a couple's home in Boulder, Colo. on Wednesday, the Boulder District Attorney's Office said Friday.
Recent University of Colorado Boulder college graduate Zoey Ripple, 21, was unarmed and intoxicated when she entered the multimillion dollar home of Doreen Orion and Timothy Justice through an unlocked screen door on Wednesday night.
The couple called 911 after Ripple walked into their bedroom, they screamed at her to leave, and then fired a single shot at her, which hit her in the hip, when she continued to walk into the room.
Her blood alcohol level was three times the legal level, according to police. Ripple was fine after being shot, though she seemed "stoned," as Orion told 911 dispatchers in the phone call.
Orion, noted author of the book "Queen of the Road," and Justice will not face any charges for shooting Ripple because of Colorado's "Make My Day" law, which allows residents to use deadly force against home intruders.
But Ripple will be charged with first-degree criminal trespassing of a dwelling, which could land her in state prison. The reason she entered Orion and Justice's home in the first place is still unknown.
Ripple did have a 2010 charge for shoplifting on her record, to which she pleaded guilty, but the charges were later dropped, according to The Denver Post.
Her friends and her attorney think the felony charge for Wednesday's incident is far too harsh.
"She had no criminal intent when she entered the home," said Ripple's attorney, Colette Cribari,, in a statement. "She has been truly traumatized by this, and I think getting shot should be punishment enough."
The Boulder County District Attorney said that Ripple isn't the only drunk college student to wander into someone's home--there are some 12 to 15 cases each year, which often lead to violence.
In fact, another case took place on Thursday, the night after Ripple entered Orion and Price's home, the DA's office told The Post, though no violence took place.
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." ~ Maya Angelou
Quoting Trish0023:
I think it's a bit harsh, if these people locked their door she wouldn't have walked in.
Seems a bit harsh that she'd be charged, but people need to take responsibility for their own actions. I can't count the number of times I had people trying to get into my apartment when I lived in a student ghetto because they thought it was their place.
Perhaps she should learn to not drink so much.
However shooting an obviously unarmed person seems a bit much.
Harsh. But bad luck on her. Who shoots a drunk girl anyways? Well, I guess I can see where they are coming from.But she was shot, i think she can skip prison for this.
Quoting Trish0023:
I think it's a bit harsh, if these people locked their door she wouldn't have walked in.
Seriously? It is the fault of the home owner that a drunk person entered their home because they did not lock their door?
Seems to me if this young woman was more responsible and didn't get herself to the point of being 3 times over the legal limit, she would not have been looking for homes to enter.
I am not certain how I feel about the actual charges but I do feel she does indeed need a swift kick in the ass. Being shot, some feel, is punishment enough. I'm not so sure about that. She broke the law.
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." ~ Maya Angelou
That sucks for the girl... but yes they have every right to charge her.
Live and learn.
Quoting EllysMom1005:Seems a bit harsh that she'd be charged, but people need to take responsibility for their own actions. I can't count the number of times I had people trying to get into my apartment when I lived in a student ghetto because they thought it was their place.
Perhaps she should learn to not drink so much.
However shooting an obviously unarmed person seems a bit much.
The homeowners where within their rights to shot the intruder. At the time, they were not certain if she was armed or not. At least they went to wound instead of kill.
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." ~ Maya Angelou
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on May. 27, 2012 at 1:34 PM