Court upholds life term for bad check
Published 5:41 pm Thursday, May 21, 2009
The state Court of Appeals has upheld the life-without-parole sentence handed Scotty B. Lyles for buying $106 worth of liquor with a bad check.
Lyles had argued that his sentence was too harsh for such a minor crime. The Appeals Court said this week that Lyles’ 13 prior crimes justified him being judged a habitual offender and the life sentence.
In Oktibbeha County, he was convicted of false pretense for writing a bad check to buy liquor at a Starkville store in 2005.
A year later, he robbed a convenience store in Starkville. Lyles was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The Appeals Court also upheld that conviction.