Six people were sentenced in the 8th Judicial District Court this week: four received deferred adjudication, 1 a state jail sentence and 1 had a charge reduced under a plea agreement.
Mary Elizabeth McDonald of Oklahoma arranged to plead guilty in court Monday in exchange for sentence of 5 years of deferred adjudication and a $1,000 fine on a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance in a drug-free zone charge.
The charge stems from an Aug. 9, 2019, traffic stop by police. McDonald, who was 31 at the time, and the driver were arrested after a marijuana cigarette and class pipe used to smoke methamphetamine were found in the vehicle they were in. A bag of suspected methamphetamine was allegedly found in her pocket while the Guthrie, Oklahoma woman was being booked into Hopkins County jail on the marijuana controlled substance possession charges, Sulphur Springs Police alleged in reports at the time of her arrest.
Zachary Gene Schmidt arranged to plead guilty Monday in court in exchange for having his charge reduced from the state jail felony offense of possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance charge to a misdemeanor charge, per 12.44(b) Texas Penal Code which allows the court, at the prosecuting attorney to request, to authorize the prosecuting attorney to prosecute a state jail felony as a Class A misdemeanor. Texas Penal Code 12.44(b) only applies to individuals facing punishment on a state jail felony offense. Schmidt was sentenced to two-days in the county jail, which he had already served on the March 8, 2019 controlled substance charge, according to court reports.
Lacy Renee Steele also arranged to plead guilty in the 8th Judicial District Court to a May 30, 20120 state jail felony theft of property charge. She was sentenced Feb. 8 to 5 years deferred adjudication and a $1,000 fine. The defendant fully paid restitution prior to her plea, according to the District Attorney’s office.
John Taylor Woods arranged to plead guilty to the state jail felony offense of assault of a pregnant person in exchange for a 10 years of deferred adjudication, a $1,000 fine. He also is required to have his mental health evaluated and he must comply with any treatment recommendations and he must complete the Batterers Intervention and Prevention Program (BIPP) as part of his sentence, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Woods, who was 20 at the time, was arrested on June 18, 2020 on a warrant alleging the offense, which was alleged in court reports to have occurred on June 6, 2020. He was released from jail June 19, on a $10,000 bond on the third-degree felony charge, according to jail reports.
Qieshon Odell Flecker and Keaton Pierce Wilkerson were both sentenced Feb. 10 in the 8th Judicial District Court on charges stemming from a May 7, 2020, incident, in which they were reportedly involved a vehicle chase down College Street to the downtown square, where the stolen car they were in crashed into a hedge and brick around 8:40 a.m. May 7. They then ran from officers but were soon apprehended by officers, police alleged following the pair’s arrest.
Flecker, 18, was accused of unauthorized use of a vehicle charge and engaging in organized criminal activity. He was sentenced to 9 months in a state jail on each case, to be served concurrently, according to the DA’s Office.
Wilkerson, 18, was accused of unauthorized use of a vehicle, engaging in organized criminal activity and evading arrest with a vehicle. He received 10 year’s deferred adjudication, will be required to pay a $1,000 fine, restitution to the victim in the unauthorized use of vehicle case, and attend an Intermediate Sanctioned Facility Cognitive 90-day program on the evading arrest are detention with a vehicle charge. The unauthorized use of a vehicle and engaging in organized criminal activity charges were dismissed as part of what is referred to as a 12.45 agreement (Section 12.45 of Texas Penal Code). Wilkerson had to admit to both offenses to the judge, who could then take them into account during sentencing; those two charges were then dismissed.
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The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
