Photo: Orange County District Attorney's Office
Tyson Theodore Mayfield was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday after threatening and yelling racial slurs at a pregnant African-American woman at a bus stop in Fullerton last September. The 43-year-old plead guilty to committing the hate crime, but some prosecutors are still unhappy because they believe he should have received a longer sentence.
“I had to literally run for my life and the life of my unborn child when I was eight months pregnant,” the victim told Judge Robbins on Monday. “I feel he should be in prison for a very long time.”
Orange County Superior Court Judge Roger B Robbins originally offered Mayfield a sentence of two years in prison, but it changed to five after Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and a few of his staff members opposed it. But even at five years, prosecutors worry that won't be enough due to the violent background of this individual.
“He is a dangerous person,” Todd Spitzer told the judge. “There is just no question he is a racist. … Quite frankly, he scares me, and he scares a lot of people.”
According to court records, Mayfield has had multiple violent incidents dating all the way back to 2005.
“I made a big commitment when I ran for office that we will not tolerate hate in this community,” Spitzer said.
Read the full story on The Orange County Register.