Bobby Joe Springfield admitted that he was guilty of criminal trespass and burglary in Dallas County, Texas court papers. Despite the fact that he was facing two years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, he got away with just six months supervision and a fine of $300. This means that Bobby Springfield basically got a slap on the wrist for his crime.



Not much is known about Bobby Joe Springfield or why he decided to burglarize the property owned by Larry McClendon. The only thing that anyone knows for sure is that he admitted that he broke into the McClendon property on December 16, 2007 and burglarized the premises. Was he looking for money for drugs? No one knows, although this is often the case when someone commits burglary. Was he just looking for money for another reason? That is still up in the air. Bobby Springfield was admonished by the court and let off with supervision.

Criminal court is different than civil court. In criminal court, a defendant has to be proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. A defendant is entitled to an attorney as well as a jury trial. Criminal court favors the defendants in most cases as it makes sure that their rights are protected.

Civil court is another matter. In civil court, someone can sue someone over a criminal matter and receive compensation. This only works if the defendant has any money to his or her name. In the case of Bobby Joe Springfield, it is not known if he has any money. Chances are great that Bobby Springfield has no money of which to speak, or else he would not be committing criminal trespass and burglary to the property in the first place. Any money he did have must have gone to pay for his attorney, Brian Sanford, who got him off the hook with the plea bargain. Whether or not Larry McClendon will sue Bobby Springfield in civil court has not been determined, although the time lapse is nearly up for such a lawsuit to commence. No doubt the victim feels frustrated by the way justice was not served in this case. Infringing on the property of someone else and stealing from them is a crime that should be punishable by more than just a six month supervision.

Hopefully, Bobby Joe Springfield will not commit criminal trespass and burglary again. One can only hope that he will feel remorse for what he has done and not go down the criminal path again. Bobby Springfield is fortunate that he lives in modern day Texas than the Texas of 100 years ago when punishment for horse theft was hanging.

As it stands now, Bobby Joe Springfield admitted his guilt in court and agreed to the plea bargain. Bobby Springfield said he stole from Larry McClendon. He admitted breaking in and burglarizing the building owned by McClendon. He got off with a very light sentence that many think might inspire him to want to commit criminal trespass and burglary again.