Defendant Sentenced for Weapons Charge

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A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a defendant who pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol outside a home or business while on release.

Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced Tumarcus Hawkins to 12 months with the time suspended, so he will not have to spend any time behind bars. He will also spend three years on supervised release and one year on probation.

As part of his probation, Hawkins, 23, must get his GED, receive mental health counseling as deemed necessary by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) and maintain employment.

He must also pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime Act fund. Judge Brandt said Hawkins can apply for the Youth Rehabilitation Act at a later date.

Defense attorney Matthew Hertz has been working with Hawkins since July of last year. He said the defendant has been coming to him with questions and concerns as well as discussing his future plans.

A job is waiting for Hawkins when he leaves the jail.

“I think the time he spent in DC Jail scared him like nothing else,” Hertz said.

According to court documents, officers arrested Hawkins after seeing him try to dispose of a firearm with an extended magazine connected to it. Officers were investigating buildings in a residential area in Southeast, DC based on reports that the defendant was in possession of a gun.