On Wednesday, April 12, 36-year-old Larry Pearson was sentenced to 70 years in prison for spitting at Lubbock County Police Officers. The harshness of the sentence has stirred controversy online. However, prosecutors have stated that it is due to Pearson's criminal history.Shortly before the incident, in which he spat at the officers, they attempted to stop him after he reportedly assaulted a woman with whom he was romantically involved.Trigger warning: This article concerns domestic violence. The reader's discretion is advisedJoshua Robert Wiese@jrwieseThis guy, Larry Pearson, clearly has problems and needs a serious and effective intervention. But spending the rest of his life, and eventually dying in prison?! This will help no one - what a waste. Prosecutor Jessica Gorman should be disbarred. twitter.com/KevinARing/sta…Kevin Ring@KevinARing70 years. thehill.com/homenews/39483…3170 years. thehill.com/homenews/39483…This guy, Larry Pearson, clearly has problems and needs a serious and effective intervention. But spending the rest of his life, and eventually dying in prison?! This will help no one - what a waste. Prosecutor Jessica Gorman should be disbarred. twitter.com/KevinARing/sta…Larry Pearson has been convicted of two counts of harassment against a public servant. Prosecutors noted that he had prior convictions for aggravated robbery and continuous family violence. Prosecutors stated that when they sentenced him to 70 years, they considered the potential threat he continued to present to the public.Responses to the sentencing of Larry PearsonIn response to the sentencing of Larry Pearson, many netizens claimed that he received such a harsh prison term because he is an African American. However, other netizens noted that his long history of violent crime may have been the cause.Dussy Pestroyer@DussyPestroyer3@Ninjamane @DailyLoud Cops picked up Larry Pearson, 36, on domestic violence charges after he allegedly hit a woman several times in the face, leaving her with "multiple visible injuries"Yeah we should've reduced his sentence . . .1@Ninjamane @DailyLoud Cops picked up Larry Pearson, 36, on domestic violence charges after he allegedly hit a woman several times in the face, leaving her with "multiple visible injuries"Yeah we should've reduced his sentence . . .One netizen, Suzanne, acknowledged the role of jurors in Larry Pearson's sentencing. However, she believed that they were solely focused on Pearson's act of disrespect aimed at authorities.Suzanne@suzyinthesun_sAfter spitting on officers in Tx, 36 year old Larry Pearson was found guilty of 2 counts of Harassment of a Public Official.Jurors were asked to deliver a sentence that sent a message to him as well as society.He was sentenced to 70 years in prison.Racism lives and breaths.6846After spitting on officers in Tx, 36 year old Larry Pearson was found guilty of 2 counts of Harassment of a Public Official.Jurors were asked to deliver a sentence that sent a message to him as well as society.He was sentenced to 70 years in prison.Racism lives and breaths. https://t.co/AqXx7c63X1Other netizens, such as IGZ, believe that the media coverage of Larry Pearson's case has been misleading. His perspective was consistent with the claims made by prosecutor Jessica Gorman as she stated her rationale.In an official statement, Jessica Gorman said:“You’re not going to get 70 years for something like this when you’ve never been in trouble before."IGZ@igzrap@SaycheeseDGTL Let’s try that title again. Texas man Larry Pearson who has numerous priors and beat up his girlfriend was already looking at a minimum 25 year sentence. So they sentenced him to 70 years to set an example. If he wasn’t a garbage human being he wouldn’t get the sentence 🤷🏻‍♂️1236@SaycheeseDGTL Let’s try that title again. Texas man Larry Pearson who has numerous priors and beat up his girlfriend was already looking at a minimum 25 year sentence. So they sentenced him to 70 years to set an example. If he wasn’t a garbage human being he wouldn’t get the sentence 🤷🏻‍♂️According to Sentencing Media, the victim of the domestic assault flagged down a police car while escaping from the convicted criminal. The victim informed the responding officers that Pearson had a gun and had repeatedly struck her. Officials noticed that the girl had visible bruises, although the 'firearm' was actually an airsoft gun.Fred Pierce@FredPierceIII#larrypearson got what he deserved. After a life of #crime, and spitting on police during his arrest, he’s headed to the slammer for 70 years to provide bubba some love. That is how we start dealing with violent criminals and decrease mass shootings. @potus will prob pardon him.#larrypearson got what he deserved. After a life of #crime, and spitting on police during his arrest, he’s headed to the slammer for 70 years to provide bubba some love. That is how we start dealing with violent criminals and decrease mass shootings. @potus will prob pardon him.During his arrest, Pearson's aggressive behavior was not limited to spitting at officers. He was also accused of kicking the doors of the police car after he was detained. He also reportedly expressed that the victim of the domestic assault should have been arrested, not him.B@Braydon_x@AresPs5 @DailyLoud Larry Pearson, 36, was arrested in May 2022 for domestic violence after a victim flagged down an officer in northeast Lubbock, prosecutor Jessica Gorman said.The victim told police that Pearson had hit her several times and that he had a gun. Gorman said that firearm (1)6@AresPs5 @DailyLoud Larry Pearson, 36, was arrested in May 2022 for domestic violence after a victim flagged down an officer in northeast Lubbock, prosecutor Jessica Gorman said.The victim told police that Pearson had hit her several times and that he had a gun. Gorman said that firearm (1)Gorman claimed that Pearson's rap sheet indicated that he had no plans to cease his violent behavior.She said:“If you’re going to live the life of crime, you’re going to do that among other criminals [in prison]."According to the New York Post, Jim Shaw, Pearson's defense attorney, believed that it was unjust that Pearson was being punished for his entire criminal history rather than the misdemeanor offense he was being tried for. Due to Pearson's past offenses, the minimum sentence he could have received for the charges was 25 years in prison.