Prison for spider terrorist

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Not quite the whole story…
From what I have seen the police were called because he was banging on somebody’s door (he wasn’t just on his porch minding his own beeswax).
via the Wayback:

According to the criminal complaint: Police investigated a man banging on a house door on Mill Street at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Thomas was confronted on the porch and yelled a racial slur at the officer. Thomas allegedly threw a spider at the officer and spat in the officer's face, the complaint says. Police allege in the complaint Thomas resisted arrest and had to be stunned several times by a Taser. Several officers were needed to handcuff Thomas. Thomas continued to struggle with officers kicking at paramedics and officers at Pittston Police Headquarters, according to the complaint.
Man throws spider at police officer
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Well, it’s good to know that simple arachnid-tossing one won’t get one that kind of sentence. Then again, it didn’t surprise me when I thought it was the case. US laws are a tad draconian these days…

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Just how big and hairy and fangy was this spider? That’s critical info I don’t see anywhere.

If someone threw a spider on me, I’d want them locked away too. Aggravated assault indeed. Possibly torture.

Thomas told the officer, ‘Look at my bug,’ and threw a spider at the officer,

Correct me if i am wrong in my biology but i think they should put him in jail for not knowing that spiders are arthropods not a true “bug” Hemiptera

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He must be one of those Mirriam-Webster guys.

bug (noun) 1a: an insect or other creeping or crawling invertebrate (as a spider or centipede)

So the cops, NSA and everybody can bug our phones, computers, homes but we are not allowed to bug them. No Fair!

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More seriously, what stood out to me was that he got credit for 390 days time served. Meaning he spent over a year in jail before being tried.

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If the rule was (as it used to be in Canada, pre-Harper) that you got two days credit for every day spend in lockup before trial, cases like this would be tried more promptly.

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ahhhh, a real spider and not, well… reminded me of that scene from Silence of the Lambs.

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.“terrorist”

Jail for throwing a spider at someone? In Australia that’s how we say hello.

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Only the small ones, though, You wouldn’t throw a huntsman at someone. Well, not unless they’re a really good mate.

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No, the huntsman spider scares his mates by throwing you.

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Hey don’t get all contexty - this is BoingBoing. It was a tiny spider and he’s getting the death penalty. Twice.

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Poor spider.:sunny:︎

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Does whatever a spider can.

The voice actually belonged to the spider itself, who was being terrified by the man on the porch. The spider was crying for help and not taunting the police when it threw itself in their direction and screamed “Caaatch meeeee!”

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Lightweigts. Where I grew up in Sydney, you threw funnel webs at your mates. Huntsmen where for throwing at girls! :smiley:

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The judge figured since it was an offense against a Law Man there was about zero choice he’d get off, so he may as well start serving it.