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March 24, 2008 Old wounds won't heal in SLA casePosted: 05:56 PM ET
NEW YORK – The wounds still have not healed over the actions of a suburban Midwestern mother of three once linked to the Symbionese Liberation Army. The radical group formed in Berkeley, California, sought a "people's rebellion" against the U.S. government and made headlines after kidnapping newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst in the 1970s.
Sara Jane Olson Sara Jane Olson, on the lam for more than 20 years before pleading guilty to charges linked to a fatal bank robbery and planting explosive devices under Los Angeles police cars, is once again the subject of heated dispute. Olson, formerly known as Kathleen Soliah, was rearrested Friday, just days after she was mistakenly released on parole. Read more She served about six years in a California prison, and like other inmates, Olson earned credit against her sentence by working on a maintenance crew that cleaned the main yard of the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. The California Department of Corrections now says it made a miscalculation and Olson must spend another year behind bars. She will not be eligible for release until March 17, 2009. Watch officials explain the error It is certainly rare that state authorities would make an "administrative error" leading to a prisoner's early release, especially in such a high-profile case. But prison official Scott Kernan says the case is "extremely complicated," given the number of changes to parole law since the crime was committed. There was a discrepancy over whether Olson should have been sentenced to 14 or 12 years. Olson' s attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, maintains authorities bowed to outside political pressure - referring to the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which voiced its outrage upon Olson's release. The group's president, Tim Sands, said: "Parole shouldn't even be an option for terrorists who are convicted of murdering innocent bystanders and attempting to murder police officers." Holley described the latest developments by saying, "It's like we're living in some kind of fascist state." She may seek a new hearing and has vowed to fight for her client's release, again. – Bob Regan, In Session senior executive producer Filed under: Sentencing |
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