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Published Monday, June 30, 2008 | 9:40 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 10:15 a.m.
Ronald Radke
Being in jail already must have made waking up for an 8 a.m. court appointment a lot easier on Ronald Radke, the man U.S. Marshal's described as a "hardcore fugitive rocker" after arresting him earlier this month. Radke, who was arrested June 17 for failing to report to his probation officer, just so happened to have another pending case in court, on a different matter related to a months-old drug charge.
This morning, the older charge was hashed out in Judge Nancy Oesterle's court. Here are the basics: Radke agreed to pay a $530 fine after he was found in possession of drugs last year. He pleaded guilty, and agreed to pay the fine, at least according to his lawyers. When questioned, Radke told Oesterle he didn't know he agreed to make payment. She noted he had signed a document saying he would. To this, he just shook his head. Because Radke has stayed out of trouble (excepting this most recent charge) Oesterle agreed to give him another 30 days to pay the $530 fine, which Radke said he could immediately. When he makes payment, he'll be "released" on the drug case only. Of course, he'll be "released" right back into the Clark County Detention Center, where he's awaiting trial on a more serious charge.
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- June 17 -- Former rock singer arrested in Henderson
Radke, a co-founder of hardcore punk band Escape the Fate, pleaded guilty to battery with substantial bodily harm in January. He was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to make almost $100,000 in restitution. The charges stemmed from a May 2006 fight that resulted in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Cook. Cook was feuding with a friend of Radke's, and was ultimately shot by friend of Radke's in a remote area of North Decatur Boulevard.
When Radke failed to report to his parole officer, he became a wanted man - his face was on the TV news and a team of marshals were hunting him. They arrested him in a decidedly un-punk location: a street corner in suburban Henderson. Now he awaits his next-early morning court wake up, to watch lawyers argue out this probation violation charge.
In court today, Radke looked calm. He played with the his handcuffs, looked out into the crowd for signs of family or friends (it appeared there were none) and otherwise sat like any other inmate, waiting to hear what will happen to him next.
The kid is nothing but a THUG PUNK, so why are the courts being so nice to him, he needs some serious JAIL TIME, let BRUCE make him into a real MAN
This kid is nothing but a "THUG PUNK"? The courts are being "nice" to him? WHAT! I think this is a COMPLETE injustice! This kid didnt SHOOT anyone, the ACTUAL shooter got off SCOTT FREE! Ronald Radke is the one paying the restitution?? Do you see something wrong here? Admittedly, YES this boy has problems.. but this isnt the way to SOLVE those problems. He obviously has no money, so him going to rehab would be IMPOSSIBLE... and this was part of his probation demands. I think the city has taken the way he looks and the way he dresses and turned it into a reason to demonize him. This entire case makes me SICK, and ultimately ECSTATIC that I don't live in such an ass backwards, backcountry, white trash filled city such as Vegas. Im THOROUGHLY disgusted at everyone involved. Yes, the prosecutors and judges. You should be ASHAMED of yourselves!! Can you count HOW MANY fistfights you started/instigated when you were young? Could you possibly fathom going to JAIL for something like this, WHEN YOU DID NOTHING but attend said gathering??
I'm physically ILL at the injustice being served here. Jobs should be lost.
A concerned reader.
In response to VegasPost: Vegas is my hometown. I grew up here in a pretty rough area, but yes, I CAN count the number of fights I instigated/started. ZERO. Why? In my neighborhood, if you started running your mouth you were just as likely to get shot as looked at. I didn't want to get shot, so I didn't talk "smack". I have read this thread, but it appears that you did not do so. This kid plead GUILTY to battery with SUBSTANTIAL bodily harm. IF he was an innocent by-stander, they would not have charged him and he would not have plead guilty! Incidentally, this is not some innocent kid. Looking through this, he's got drug problems, problems controlling his temper, and probably his mouth, as well as a flagrant disrespect to abiding by the terms of his probation. You are saying we are backwater white trash, yet as you don't even live here, how can you possibly say that with any degree of authority? Still you call us biased because the kid has a tattoo so you think he is being penalized because he is expected to abide by the law? It is not the way this kid looks. It's the way he ACTS. I have raised my children to be responsible and respectable kids. My oldest is going to college in the fall. I taught them to keep the peace. This guy did not just sit idly by and watch a fight. He participated, and from the seriousness of the charge did more than a black eye or bloody lip. He should be held responsible for his actions before he IS the one shooting someone. Finally, just because the shooter in this article is not mentioned at length does not mean he got off "scot free". The article wasn't about him. It was about a kid who seemingly flagrantly disregards the law and personal responsibility. As someone who has children, I do not want people like this running around terrorizing people. Perhaps a long jail time is not the answer, but a slap on the hand is definitely not the answer either. P.S. I'm glad you don't live here, too!
Well. let ME give you a bit of of information ABOUT MYSELF!!! I currently reside in Los Angeles with my own company, after having graduated from Brown. In my life, as a healthy, normal teenager was in MANY fights. Girls "jumping" girls. Boys "jumping" boys. The "meet me at the busstop after school, were going to fight."
Well, LOOK AT ME! Extraordinarily successful and still defended myself as a teenager. WOW!
OH! By the way.. You don't know your kids at all if you think they werent involved in such antics. Also.. This poor kid most likey couldnt afford the proper attorney because if he had... THE ACTUAL shooter who DID have proper defense would have gotten the wrap.
I'm really glad, Mr. VegasPost, that you do reside in Los Angeles. Please feel free to stay there. I also work for myself and am considered successful, both personally and professionally. With the way you are screaming on this post, obviously you still have issues with your mouth, which is probably why you had to defend yourself growing up. It seems apparent to me that you have merely gotten older, not grown up at all.
As for my children, no, they do not demean themselves by getting into fistfights. They have more class than that. They are not troublemakers, nor have they been in any trouble, at school or in their community. One has graduated and the other is due to graduate this coming year. As I have seen more than most while growing up, I am very well aware of how important it is to stay in your children's lives and be aware of what they are doing at all times, even when it is not popular. By doing so, I can easily say that I am very aware that my children, while not perfect, are growing up to be responsible, decent human beings.
I stand by my statements, and reiterate, please feel free to just stay there in L.A.
ah. So your kids were the ones who were beat up. got it! Poor kids, have to go through a lifetime of feeling inferior due to the way you raised them. It's a tough world out there, too bad they wont know how to stand up for themselves. If they need some advice how to to do so, you know where to find me.