Judge Sentences Defendant to 6 Months on Probation

By D.C. Witness Staff - August 14, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Probation | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge sentenced a defendant to 90 days, all of which were suspended, plus six months of probation.

During the Aug. 14 hearing, Dexter Jackson pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. As part of the plea agreement, his distribution of a controlled substance charge was dropped.

Judge Erik Christian ordered Jackson, 33, to pay $50 to the Victims of Violent Crimes Act fund.

The prosecution requested he receive 18 months of probation, while defense attorney Donna Beasley asked for six months of probation.

Beasley also requested her client’s charge be taken off the public record if he successfully completes probation. 

She said a conviction would make it more difficult for the defendant, who already struggles with employment due to health issues that require frequent hospitalization, to get a job.

Judge Christian denied her request.

“I can’t fault anyone else but myself, I chose to make that decision,” said Jackson. “I just want to be able to help my family.”

According to court documents, the defendant sold $20 worth of cocaine to an undercover Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer on the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue on Oct. 5, 2019.