Fifth Estate Collective

Valler Gets 7 to 10 Years

1969

The heavy hand of “justice” has fallen on Dave Valler, who was sentenced to 7 to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of marijuana.

Valler is still awaiting trial, along with six other persons, on conspiracy charges in connection with a series of dynamite bombings of a school, a draft board, and a policeman’s car.

Valler copped a plea from the original charge of sales which carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, but apparently Recorder’s Court Judge Sam Olsen was not impressed.

In passing sentence Olsen said of Valler, “He ruined not only his own life but those of many other young people.”

Valler apparently either having his mind blown by so many months in jail or attempting to convince the judge he had repented told Olsen that he was sorry and wrote a long anti-drug rap in the Detroit News.

The News, following its general anti-youth policy, featured Dave’s story on the front page along with a behind-bars photo of him showing a crew cut replacing his once shoulder-length hair.


Fifth Estate #81, June 12–25, 1969