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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- August 25, 2020
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On Aug. 25, a DC Superior Court judge sentenced a drug possession defendant to six months and 15 days in prison for two drug possession charges.
Richard Bennett was sentenced to six months for possession with intent to distribute marijuana but was given credit for time served as he was held in Miami for months. The judge also sentenced him to 15 days in prison for possession of drug paraphernalia.
The original charges were from Nov. 23, 2016. Judge Michael O’Keefe said “bad decision making” and “delaying tactics” are the reasons why this case has taken years to resolve. Bennett was brought to Miami after being deported from Colombia, where he originally fled before his original sentencing last summer.
Bennett is also sentenced to 60 days of probation and must pay $200 to the Victims of Violent Crime fund.
Judge O’Keefe also ordered Bennett to participate in comprehensive mental health assessments during his probation, citing “serious anxiety problems” for the reasons why Bennett has put himself in this position.
According to the defense, Bennett suffers from serious disabilities such as Crohn’s disease and was diagnosed with COVID-19 recently.
“He has 0 criminal history, he is not a violent person,” says his defense attorney Carrie Weletz.
Although Bennett has had 10 or 11 lawyers in the past few years, the defense claims that Bennett is beginning to settle down.
“He’s living with his family friend, he wanted to give physical distance between him and the DC jail by living in Virginia…I don’t think he’ll ever enter the system again,” the attorney said.
Bennett is also charged with a bail violation for his failure to show up in court in September 2018 to which he pleaded not guilty.
The next hearing for the bail violation is scheduled to take place on Jan. 25, 2021.