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YouTube rappers reach deal to avoid jail time
SAVANNAH, Mo. — Two would-be rappers who posted a video last fall on YouTube labeled “Cop Killa” struck a deal with the state and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of disturbing the peace.
Assistant Attorney General Ted Bruce withdrew the five felony counts against Kenneth D. Black, 20, and Benjamin D. Stevens, 21, filed in September. Those felonies included two counts of tampering with a judicial officer, making a terrorist threat as well as conspiracies to commit second-degree assault and forcible rape.
The video showed the men rapping about killing police officers in Savannah and Country Club Village and Andrew County deputies. The footage also showed one of them filming police officers while on duty without the officers’ knowledge.
It was the state’s belief that neither man had any intention of carrying out the threats, Mr. Bruce said. However, officers took appropriate actions and used restraint in making the arrests, he said.
Since the state withdrew the felonies, Associate Circuit Judge Ronald Taylor accepted the pleas of the two men for committing the misdemeanors.
The judge sentenced Mr. Stevens to 90 days in jail and suspended the execution of the sentence for two years, placing him on unsupervised probation.
Mr. Taylor admonished Mr. Stevens that he expected him, not his parents, to pay all of his court costs and a $300 bill for the Missouri Public Defender’s office within 30 days or the bill would be turned over to a collection agency that would file a civil suit. Further, any violation of the law would end probation and result in incarceration, Mr. Taylor said.
Mr. Black was sentenced to 30 days in jail and placed on two years unsupervised probation. The judge suspended execution of the jail sentence, which means that if Mr. Black doesn’t break any laws, he won’t have to serve the month in jail. He also has to pay all court costs.
Attorney Tim Warren, who represented Mr. Black, asked that his client receive a fine instead of the jail time, but the judge declined to change the plea agreement Mr. Warren negotiated with the state.
Both men were ordered to write personal letters of apology to the law enforcement officers they threatened and to Associate Circuit Judge Michael Ordnung.
The Savannah Police Department investigated the original case, and some of its officers were to be the alleged victims of the two men. The department received no notice of a deal or the court hearing Tuesday.
Marshall White can be reached
at marshall@npgco.com.
This story has 7 comments. Click here to join in on the discussion.
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Whats with the court system in Andrew County? These 2 wanna-be's filmed officers with the idea of killing them to make them "famous" on YouTube. No jail time, put on UNSUPERVISED probation. What a joke. If I ever decide to commit a crime, I'll come to Savannah.
Honesly I would of never expected anything like this from Ben. I've know him from school and this behavor is not like him. My only question is did they really rape someone?
A kid brings a toy gun to school and get suspended. These derelicts video tape and rap about killing police officers and they get a slap on the wrist. Give me a break!! What a joke.
Irishgirl, it sounds like they may have just described the acts of rape in their song, hence the "conspiracy" charge. Either way, those two "men" should feel very lucky they didn't destroy their lives over a stupid rap song gone bad.
I put some of the blame on youtube. I mean think about it, this is the second video that has been posted within what, 2-3 months from Savannah. I think that the person in charge of what goes on youtube should be screening videos better than what they are.
So you want MORE censorship? YouTube's policy is fairly simple...
No copyright infringement, essentially.
Do we not live in a society in which we're responsible for our own actions???
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH people, I can't even believe I just read someone finds someone/something else to put the blame on beside these two fools.
I can't believe, knowing Judge Taylor personally, that he would make this judgement. Shame on our judicial system.
I don't think I even need to point out the hypocritcal past judgements in comparison to this incident.
I considered making a joke about these two fools and our own, "southside gangs," but I just fail to see the humor in any of this.
Shame on you, Judge Taylor. Way to open the floodgates.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh you can make all the comments on a blog you want but i am free oh yes i am free no matter how much it hurts you to see yes please believe that i am free ha ha! First I'd like to thank KQ2, the savannah reporter and the st. joe news press among other news stations and newspapers for blowing me up in the game! Now thanks to them im on top, in the underground that is, making hits and producing hits signing autographs and getting paid!!! It's crazy to see exactly how many babies there are out there! Wah wah wah they made a video for fun *sniffle sniffle* i can't believe that they let them go *sniffle sniffle* shame on you judge *sniffle sniffle* lol go cry yourself to sleep if you feel that unsafe knowing that there are kids everywhere making videos and putting them on youtube, lock your doors and beware! rappers with video cameras are everywhere oh my god! oh and F.Y.I more number one hits soon to come!