NATION : Goetz Resentenced to 1 Year in Jail

Bernhard Goetz was resentenced today to one year in jail and fined $5,000 for possessing the gun he used to shoot four black teen-agers on a subway train four years ago. His lawyer said he will likely be eligible for parole in 51 days.

Goetz, who was acquitted of the most serious charges in the subway shootings but lost court appeals of his gun possession conviction, told state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Crane before sentencing, “I do feel this case is really more about the deterioration of society than it is about me. Society needs to be protected from criminals.” He could have been sentenced to seven years. Crane sentenced Goetz in 1987 to six months in jail, but an appeals court threw out the sentence, saying the law called for a minimum of a year behind bars.