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The beat report

I’ve heard a lot of reaction about how Judge Kenneth Forbeck disregarded the plea agreement when he sentenced James Humphrey on Friday for first-degree reckless homicide.

Some people have applauded Forbeck, while others were shocked and thought exceeding the recommendation was heavy handed.

Attorneys on both sides asked the judge to sentence Humphrey, 45, of Janesville to 20 years in prison for killing Sam Aegerter, 30, of Janesville in June after a dispute at Five Points intersection. The judge sentenced Humphrey to 45 years in prison, more than double the recommendation.

I wasn’t shocked.

Forbeck said at previous court hearings that he wanted to know whether Humphrey fired one or two shots, indicating the information was important to him when he considered sentencing. He wanted copies of police reports and witness statements before sentencing Humphrey.

I suspect when the judge learned that Humphrey fired twice, including the second, fatal shot, it might have been a deal breaker.

Forbeck said in court that the plea agreement was not in the public’s interest. He also said the interest of justice was more important than the interest of plea negotiations.

“This was a senseless act. It was an intentional act by pointing a gun at a vehicle with human beings in it. It was not an accident,” Forbeck said.

LEFT IN THE NOTEBOOK

• I live tweeted the Humphrey sentencing from the courtroom. I updated people every few minutes. It’s the best way to give readers instant information. And it's fun.

• The Janesville man arrested on suspicion of homicide by drunken driving in the fatal crash last week still hasn’t been charged or been in court. He remains hospitalized.

• I worked with a reporter at the Tomah newspaper to get information on the drive-by shootings along Interstate 90/39 and their connection to the fatal shootout involving Tomah police two days later. We exchanged news released and contact information for law enforcement. It’s always nice when reporters can cooperate on a breaking story.

• We’ve hired a newsroom clerk to help type court records. She is doing a great job. She will help me and other writers a lot.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

• The Rock County District Attorney’s Office recently started putting out news releases on sentencings resulting in prison time. I like it. It’s tough to track it all. Anything helps.

• I saw that a state legislator is proposing a bill to ban synthetic marijuana. It’s already illegal in many cities, including Janesville. I’m not surprised it could become illegal statewide.

• The ladies at the Rock County Clerk of Courts Office are always rotating positions. They move to different windows and desks. It seems like I’m seeing a new face every couple months.

QUOTABLE

• “I don’t think you could talk about juvenile justice in the state of Wisconsin without people knowing who Ed was … He was just very well known,” Bob Sperling, on Edward Schultz Jr., the former chief juvenile probation officer and division manager for juvenile probation in Rock County. Schultz died recently.

• “Sam was our strength … We will never, ever get a chance to complete our family again,” Amanda Aegerter, on the fatal shooting of Sam, who was her ex-husband and the father of her two young children.

• “My son is gone, and I will never see him again,” Deborah Givens, on the death of her first-born child, Sam.

• “The thing about Sam is he was loved by everyone,” Thomas James Aegerter, Sam’s brother.

• “He was just always a good guy,” Tom Danks, on Humphrey, who killed Sam.

• “He is very caring … He is a very positive person,” Val Humphrey, on her husband, James.

• “There are not words that can take away one ounce of the heartache I have caused the Aegerter family,” James, when speaking before his sentencing, on causing Sam’s death.

• “I’ve caused such an unimaginable amount of pain for so many … It is truly a crushing weight on my soul,” James, regarding his crime.

RETWEETS

• “Maybe he wanted an extra large name tag. It would be difficult to pin that on a shirt,” @Jrontheair, on a man accused of trying to steal a Nelson Road street sign because his last name is Nelson.

• “Oh now you're remorseful?? I don't think so, lock him up for life,” @DMBFan2, on the Humphrey sentencing.

• “He gave up his right to be a productive member of society when he pulled the trigger - TWICE. Just sayin,'” @tbrown1017, also on the Humphrey sentencing.

• “Judge Forbeck is the man! Justice is rightfully being served today in Rock Court,” @Maryannecarroll, regarding the sentencing.

FACEBOOK BANTER

• “Crazy. Hats off to law enforcement for putting the pieces together,” E. K., on the Interstate 90/39 shooting suspect being connected to the Tomah fatal shooting.

• “Wonder how it tasted,” M. C., on a girl driving on Highway 11 when a car drove alongside her and a person threw a milkshake at her.

• “I'm sure he'll have plenty of time off now,” J. C., on a man accused of making a bomb threat because he didn’t want to go to work.

• “How sad. My thoughts and prayers are with the families,” J. N., on the Janesville fatal crash involving an alleged drunken driver.

OFF THE BEAT

• Softball season starts next week. Our team made the playoffs last year. I’m not very good. I play catcher and bat last in the lineup. I love playing, though.

• I recently read “The Imperfectionists,” a book about people working in a newsroom. The book offers an honest and hilarious look at life in the newspaper business. I would recommend it to anybody.

• I think the pea is out of my older son’s nose. We never found the pea, but my son quit complaining about it. He also seems to be breathing OK.

LOOKING AHEAD

• I interviewed Humphrey in jail twice this week, spending a total of more than four hours with him. I wrote a large story about the case scheduled to run Sunday. You’ll have to check it out.

• I’m still expecting the Janesville man arrested on a charge of homicide by drunken driving to be charged and appear in court sometime soon. I’ll cover the story when it happens.

Ted Sullivan can be reached at (608) 755-8253, tsullivan@gazettextra.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook at Rock County Crime.