In Irvine, California, feuding between parents is a common occurrence. Many parents in the area are very serious about their children’s education, sometimes creating tension between school volunteers, school staff, and the children’s parents. On occasion, these situations spiral out of control, but even I have not heard of a situation quite like the one that occurred between two Irvine parents and a PTA volunteer at their son’s school.
Elaborate Conspiracy to Sabotage
According to allegations by the Orange County district attorney’s office, Kent Easter and his wife Jill Easter engaged in an elaborate scheme to falsely incriminate Kelli Peters, a PTA volunteer. In an act of retaliation after what he believed to be poor treatment of her son at school, Kent Easter allegedly drove to Peter’s place of residence and planted a container of Marijuana, Vicodin, Percocet, as well as drug paraphernalia in Peter’s unlocked vehicle.
Authorities allege that Kent Easter then called the Irvine Police Department claiming that he had seen erratic driving near an Irvine elementary school. In addition to identifying Peters by name, Easter also claimed to have personally seen Peters hide a bag of narcotics in her vehicle, which he then provided a description.
Since Kent Easter stayed in constant contact with his wife during the time in which the alleged crimes were committed, Irvine authorities pursued charges against her as well.
Both Kent Easter and Jill Easter were attorneys licensed to practice law in the state of California. Jill Easter pled guilty to one count of false imprisonment, for which the Orange County district attorney’s office believes she will serve one year in jail as well as be required to fulfill a three year formal probationary period.
Kent Easter may not be as lucky. He is currently facing charges for false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit a crime, false imprisonment by deceit or violence, as well as conspiracy to falsely charge a crime. If convicted on all counts, Kent Easter faces significant time in jail and/or prison as well as hefty fines.
Crimes in Question
The following are penalties associated with the criminal charges that Kent Easter faces:
Criminal Conspiracy
- Acts of criminal conspiracy are known as “wobbler offenses”. Wobblers are crimes for which the defendant could face a misdemeanor or a felony offense depending upon the circumstances surrounding each individual’s case. In Kent Easter’s case, his charges for conspiracy to commit his alleged crimes may be in addition to committing the crimes himself. This has the potential to result in several years of prison time.
False Imprisonment
- False imprisonment is also a “wobbler”. Those found guilty could face a maximum of three years in a California state prison.
If convicted on all counts, Kent Easter could face several years in prison for his alleged actions.
Irvine Criminal Defense
Those facing criminal charges in Irvine, California are invited to contact my criminal defense law firm for a free case evaluation. The evaluation is free and there is no obligation to retain our defense services. Call 949-250-6097 to reach a skilled legal professional with years of experience assisting Irvine defendants.