Kindness of a stranger: Man gave young dad he met in courtroom $983 so he could avoid becoming a felon after overhearing he could not afford to pay the fine

What a great man! A generous attorney who overheard how a defendant could not afford restitution in his theft case has given the young father $983 so he avoids becoming a felon.

A generous attorney who overheard how a defendant could not afford restitution in his theft case has given the young father $983 so he avoids becoming a felon.

Colin M. Murphy was sitting in Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland, Oregon last Thursday as he waited for his case, when he heard lawyers and the judge discussing Castor Conley’s predicament.

Conley, a 27-year-old married father of a 17-month-old girl, paid $150 to $200 for a stolen Nissan truck last year and then sold it for $275 to another buyer, who in turn sold its parts, authorities said.
The defendant, who had one other conviction for a fourth-degree assault in 2011, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, but the deputy district attorney agreed for it to be classified as a misdemeanor if he paid $983 to the owner of the truck, The Oregonian reported.

The vehicle’s owner, Shawn Stratton, also lost camping equipment that was inside the car, as well as hundreds of dollars to cover his insurance deductible.

But Conley said he was unable to pay the money.

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