What crime did Gary Ewing commit in 2000?
Viewed separately from his criminal history, the crime Gary Ewing committed in this case is relatively benign. In 2000 he stole three golf clubs worth $399 each from the pro shop of the El Segundo Golf Course in El Segundo, California.
What was the sentence for Grand Theft golf clubs?
After his theft of the golf clubs, Ewing was convicted of felony grand theft of personal property. This gave him two or more serious or violent felony convictions, which meant that he was sentenced to 25 years to life under California’s three strikes law.
Was Gary Ewing’s sentence ‘grossly disproportionate to the crime?
The court upheld three-strikes, stating that, in the case at hand, the sentence was not “grossly disproportionate to the crime.” Gary Ewing was sentenced to 25 years to life under California’s three-strikes law for committing felony grand theft after having at least two other "serious" or "violent" felonies on his record.
What was the sentence for Ewing’s crime?
Ewing was paroled in 1999, ten months before he stole the golf clubs from the pro shop in El Segundo. At sentencing on the golf club theft, the judge classified the 1993 burglaries and robbery as "two strikes" and imposed the 25-to-life sentence under California’s three strikes law.