CONYERS, Ga. - A man who has been struggling with a drug problem has been ordered by a judge to buy a coffin and keep it in his home.
Chief Superior Court Judge Sidney Nation sentenced Brenton Jay Raffensperger, 24, to serve only the first six months of a seven-year sentence on a cocaine possession charge. But he must keep the coffin in his home during the duration of the sentence.
"Some people may think this is silly, but I don't," Nation told Raffensperger. "I want you to go to a funeral home and buy a casket, put it in your home and see it every day as a reminder of the deadly consequences of your choices. I want you to be reminded every day that if you don't change your ways you are a dead man."
Raffensperger also received a concurrent sentence on a DUI charge.
Nation added the coffin requirement as a condition after attorneys worked out a plea bargain.
Nation has used unusual measures in the past in an effort to emphasize to offenders the need to get off drugs. One man was told to bury his crack pipe in a grave size hole. Another man was required to keep a car he destroyed while driving under the influence in his front yard.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com
Chief Superior Court Judge Sidney Nation sentenced Brenton Jay Raffensperger, 24, to serve only the first six months of a seven-year sentence on a cocaine possession charge. But he must keep the coffin in his home during the duration of the sentence.
"Some people may think this is silly, but I don't," Nation told Raffensperger. "I want you to go to a funeral home and buy a casket, put it in your home and see it every day as a reminder of the deadly consequences of your choices. I want you to be reminded every day that if you don't change your ways you are a dead man."
Raffensperger also received a concurrent sentence on a DUI charge.
Nation added the coffin requirement as a condition after attorneys worked out a plea bargain.
Nation has used unusual measures in the past in an effort to emphasize to offenders the need to get off drugs. One man was told to bury his crack pipe in a grave size hole. Another man was required to keep a car he destroyed while driving under the influence in his front yard.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com
