This is in response to a story on the front page of the Jan. 16 Sun Journal.

How is it that a man who occupied  more than eight hours of emergency personnel time, which is directly linked to taxpayer money, has bail set at some $7,000? That doesn’t even cover the cost of service the Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments put in towards that standoff. No offense to the police officers of the Twin Cities; they did their job admirably, with no injuries to any involved parties.

The issue is just a drop in the bucket to what Sun Journal readers see every day. There are usually 10 or so individuals in the court log daily with infractions including domestic violence assault, operating under the influence, or trafficking in controlled substances. All too often, at the end of entry is the word “dismissed.”

How does dismissing all of those obviously illegal acts help to pay for the time and money that has been spent, just to not invoke a penalty on the accused?

Why doesn’t the state enact fines that can be taken out of a convicted person’s future tax refunds?

As a state taxpayer I demand more than just a “dismissed” on drug traffickers, OUIs, domestic violence and criminal speeding, just to name a few.

In my eyes, minimal jail time does not cut it, either. Those are just more of an honest man’s taxes being wasted for the wrong cause.

Jonathan Duchette, Turner