A 29-year old who robbed at least four GameStop stores last year in Louisiana was sentenced to 10 years for each incident, giving him a total of 40 years in prison.
Gregory Reaux (pictured) was an ex-GameStop employee, who was fired from the videogame retailer in 2008 for “improperly using employee discounts and store deals,” according to NOLA.com. A graduate student, Reaux robbed the GameStops armed with a box cutter while wearing a “cut shirt sleeve as a mask.” He reportedly absconded with several thousand dollars from the robberies, along with “various merchandise.”
An earlier story detailing Reaux’s arrest put the tally of robbed stores at six, in the towns of Slidell, Jefferson Parish, Hammond, Walker and Denham Springs, Noting that he had not yet robbed a store in Mandeville, officers staked out the local GameStop and promptly busted Reaux as he was preparing to commit his next crime.
Despite his being fired from GameStop for his misdeeds, which the company never pursued criminally, it was reported that his past was “unrelated to the crimes for which he was arrested.”
Comments
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
What the? He robbed the places with a damn box cutter? This is why unconditional cooperation is not a good policy in 100% of cases, but companies will fire you if you resist.
Do gamestops not keep anything behind the counter, like mace at least? Does gamestop control that aspect of the employee's lives too? If even one of those stores had mace behind the counter, this guy wouldn't have even made it past the 1st one.
Hell, next thing you know some 250 pound amateur boxer comes in, unarmed, and demands money and you gotta pay up; after all, a punch from a guy like that is way more dangerous than a god damn box cutter!
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Maybe you've forgotten, but the 9/11 hijackers used box cutters.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
If you see shit like this, why is anybody wondering why the US has the highest pecentage of incarcerated people in the world (and I'm talking about the world, not the western world)?
You should probably all read the Economist article on the topic from a few weeks back.
Luckily the US States are slowly but surely changing their judical systems and laws, but not because they gained any insight, but because of empty coffers.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Yep, time to start letting crooks out to make space. Let's drop them off where ulix lives ;)
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
You DO know that jail is intended and work best as both a deterent and a rehabilitation device, NOT as a punishment one, right? Or do you think once a person has done something wrong, if you can guarantee with 100% that they will never do it again and that no one will hear of it, they should still rot in jail or be killed?
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Yes, clearly those are the only two option and obviously by suggesting that it might be a bad idea letting criminals out purely because we can't afford to keep em locked up (aka. NOT because they've been 'rehabilitated') Positive_Gamer must be saying that every offender should be locked up indefinitely or killed. That's in no way a competely absurd and self serving straw man conclusion to draw.
It's all well and good to say that jail should be about rehabilitation and serve as a deterent. That's sort of contradictory though. If you just give people a slap on the wrist, it's not much of a deterent. As for rehabilitation, yes, if you can actually make it work with a moderately decent success rate then fine. It's not as easy as it sounds though and to even stand a chance takes a massive amount of time, effort, and money. That of course is not to say that we shouldn't do it because it's expensive. Bringing us back to the original point though, if the justice system is only shifting this way because of budget constraints...well obviously it isn't going to succeed in either option. They're not actually going to commit to the idea of rehabilitation. They're just making some minor, half assed, affordable attempt at it which will rarely succeed but in turn letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist under the assumption (or rather the excuse) that it will. In the end, all it does is create a revolving door of repeat offenders. They don't get rehabilitated and they don't even get taken off the streets for a while which would be at least be preferable to nothing.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Hey, you know what's worst? A white knight to interpret it all away.
I love me some science and I'll take the path with the lower criminality as long as it's an ethical one. Base it on study and statistics though, not on people's feelings, laws made by politicians to get re-elected or a dozen "peers".
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
He was a grad student (presumably that means working on a post-Bachelor degree such as a Masters or Ph.D.) and he couldn't figure out robbing stores at knifepoint was probably a bad idea? He should get another 10 years just for being a dumba**.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Yeah when I saw that he's a graduate student, why would he go that low to robbing store. He could have gotten a job instead of robbing Gamestop. I agree, he should get another 10 year for being a complete dumb(bleep).
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
...SERIOUSLY?
I mean, he commited crimes, he should be rehabilitaded and everything, but... 40 YEARS? 1 year home arrest with an electronic watch and a criminal record wasn't enough? Or, you know, 4 years? That sentence is off the hook when compared to the crimes.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Well, he was armed. Somehow, I agree that 40 years are too much, but, again, he carried a knife and that´s not exactly being harmless.
------------------------------------------------------------ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Adding that Gamestop keeps all product secured in a fashion that requires dealing with staff, he had to confront at least one person at each place he hit, so it's not a simple shoplifting incident. This was multiple counts of armed robbery, and not for items to survive.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Like I said, I agree that he should be dealt with for the crimes he committed. But... 40 friggin years? When you see repeat rapist walking after 3 years, this makes no sense.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
Are you citing an actual case or just making s**t up about a repeat rapist only getting 3 years?
Do you think that a repeat rapist should only get 3 years and therefore a violent criminal (armed robbery is generally considered a violent crime) should not even get jail time? I'm sure that's not the point you're trying to make, right?
Minimum sentences for armed robbery can be pretty steep and vary from state to state. In Nevada, the minimum sentence is 15 years. In California, it can be from three to nine years. In Georgia an armed robbery conviction, under certain circumstances, can result in the death penalty.
He'll probably serve less than 20 anyway.
Re: Louisiana's GameStop Bandit Given 40 Years
I'm citing a known case, if you want to know. I know the victim and worst, the rapist got work in the building right across her school when he got out. Fun heh? I think rapist should have a far longer time in and I think this guy should have a much lower time in. Happy?