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Frank Hebert faces 10 years in the slam for being a man. A decade ago, a car crash left the 57-year-old grandpa a paraplegic who gets around in a wheelchair and only has partial use of his arms. But when he found his granddaughter was being molested, that didn't stop him... The 3-year-old girl told Frank and his wife that her stepfather, Joshua A. Hardy, had molested her and taken pictures of her naked with his cell phone. So while grandma took the girl to the police, Frank invited Hardy to his computer store on Martha's Vineyard under the auspices that Hardy could pick up the girl there. But when Hardy showed up, Frank was armed with a baseball bat. He confronted Hardy on the abuse. Frank says Hardy admitted to the molestation, but only laughed at the prospect of a disabled man armed with a bat. That's when Frank decided to belt him in the arm. When the cops arrived moments later, Hardy was found sitting in a chair clutching his elbow. Hardy was subsequently charged with indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, enticing a child, and disseminating obscene material in his stepdaughter's case. He's also charged with indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 in a case involving another girl. The problem is that Frank has also been charged for hammering the douchebag with a bat. He's been charged with felony assault and faces up to 10 years in prison. But Frank isn't exactly a picture of remorse these days. He feels what he did was right. "I'd do it again tomorrow, knowing the consequence," he told the Boston Herald. "I didn't have a choice. A 10-year-old kid could take me. This is not about me. This is about a tiny child. I would never tell her I took a risk for her. I'd tell her I loved her." (Special thanks to readers& Stephen for the tips.)

He should have just kill the pedo and go to jail for 2 years instead.

This is why we have juries. He won't get 10 years.

The phrase 'Up to x years in prison' is used here to make it sound like he's actually going to get 10 years in prison. Which he isn't. That's the maximum sentence for felony assault and in this case there were both mitigating circumstances and the assault was fairly minor.

He might not even get prison at all.

That is what you call a grandpa - someone who would go to bat for you.

Think in these circumstances, he deserves to be let off. At least the peado got put away. I assume?

The title is for sensationalism only.

It's like Charlie Brooker says "'Could' is a needlessly ambigious word". I could win the lottery, but I could also press 'reply' when I've finished writing this; the difference in the likelihood of the two events is huge.

"Faces up to" works exactly the same as could. This man could face up to ten years. He could also face being commended for his actions and let off. Neither one is particularly likely, chances are it will be something inbetween, something that makes sense. I imagine that a slap on the wrist and a quick word about letting the authorities handle next time it is probably all that will happen.

Wait... the Pedo dude couldn't like..  take 2 steps back.. who would take a beating with a bat? it's not like the wheelchair pops could chase him..

Why are you defend the pedo, huh?

Grandad shoulda just let the police handle it, what child molestors get put through in prison is much worse than a broken elbow, from what I've heard. That said, It'd be pretty hard to think rationally if you were actually put in that situation.

At a guess, his lawyer will plead mitigating circumstances - that he wanted intended merely to confront the guy verbally, and had the bat for self defence, then he just lost his cool and lashed out. That'd easily take the 10 years maximum down pretty severely, then plead infirmity and he'll get put in a mimum security wing, or something along the lines of house arrest.