The four men involved in the [tag]tire slashing[/tag] of 25 vans rented by Republicans to help transport voters to the polls in November 2004 have all been sentenced to jail. Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Michael Brennan said the vandalism was not just a harmless prank. Regarding their attempts at [tag]voter suppression[/tag], he said:

They see you tampering with something they consider sacred and that’s the ballot box.

The sentences:

Michael Pratt (son of former acting Mayor Marvin Pratt) – 6 months in jail
Lewis Caldwell – 6 months in jail
Lavelle Mohammed – 5 months in jai
Sowande Omokunde (son of U.S. Representative Gwen Moore) – 4 months in jail

All were also fined $1,000.

The sentences come after a January plea deal. These four men pleaded no contest to misdemeanors. A fifth defendant, Justin Howell, turned down a plea deal and was acquitted by a jury.

The plea deal included the four defendants paying a total of $5,317, in return for a recommendation by the District Attorney that they only get probation. The judge disregarded the recommendation in favor of jail time.