Sheriff Clarke reacts to sentencing for man who escaped hospital

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- 30-year-old Keyon Westlan was sentenced to serve three years in prison.  Westlan faced a maximum of 19 years on a bevy of drug, escape, drug paraphernalia and bail jumping charges.  Westlan was offered and agreed to a plea deal with the District Attorney’s Office, which with multiple concurrent sentences results in him serving less than 1/6 of the time to which he could have been sentenced.

On May 1, 2013, Westlan, who was in custody for a felony charge of Possession of Heroin, escaped from a correctional officer who was guarding him at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital on Lake Drive in Milwaukee.

The escape prompted a massive response by Sheriff’s deputies, the Milwaukee Police Department and the US Marshal’s Service, during which portions of the hospital and area schools (including an elementary school) were locked down.

Westlan was subsequently found in the hospital hiding between two walls.  Deputies had to break through one of the walls to apprehend him.

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke was upset to learn of Westlan's sentence, and released the following statement on Tuesday:

Statement from Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.:

“No wonder this goof made this daring escape attempt.  He knew that either way he would not be subjected to any harsher sentence by a lenient Milwaukee County Judiciary.  Criminals in Milwaukee County know this and feel that criminal involvement is worth the risk.  Judicial leniency and watered down sentences in exchange for plea bargains are contributing to all the crime and violence we continue to see in Milwaukee.  This idiot endangered the lives of hospital personnel, patients, children and law enforcement.

New “tougher” laws are not necessary and are not the answer.  We just need to take full advantage of the laws currently on the books including sentencing laws.
He has a criminal history and this is not his “second chance”.  

I don’t think that serving 50% of the exposure of 19 years would have been unreasonable in this case.

In fact, it might just cause the next guy that thinks of engaging in this behavior to think twice.”