News of the Weird: The McMissile Case

News of the weird. I found this in today's edition of the Washington Post.

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17212960/

No one was injured, but the cup launcher, Jessica Hall, 25, of Jacksonville, N.C., was charged and convicted by a Stafford County jury of maliciously throwing a missile (even thought it was a cup) into an occupied vehicle, a felony in Virginia.

The instructions given to the jury said that "any physical object can be considered a missile. A missile can be propelled by any force, including throwing."

The jury sentenced her to two years in prison, the minimum, and a judge will formally impose a sentence Wednesday. Under state law, the judge can only decrease the jury's sentence. Even the drivers of the other car, driver Pete Ballin, 36, and girlfriend Eliza Fowle (who I think I went to middle school with), 28, admitted he felt the sentence was overkill.

They were expecting community service for the "felon".

I think the aggressor took her anger way too far, but considering it all, there could have been serious tragedy on the roadway and I could see the rationale for the sentence. However, I do think the justice system did take things way too far.