Following some recent decisions made by a judge in Greene County District Court, law enforcement is encouraging the public to get involved.

Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams says last Friday one sentence hearing involved a criminal receiving a suspended prison sentence and was placed on probation. The criminal had violated his parole, from a previous case, when he commited a felony for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. The criminal was already on probation for three prior incidents in 2017, including a charge for distribution of a controlled substance to a minor. The criminal pled guilty to the felony for possession with intent to deliver and admitted to violating his parole, but the sentence last Friday was a suspended prison sentence and place on probation for an additional three years. Assistant Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn was the prosecutor on the case and says he called Williams, along with the criminal’s parole officer and the Jefferson Police Captain testified that the criminal was an “imminent threat to the community.”

Laehn says he argued for prison time, but the judge chose to impose probation instead. Laehn explains his policy when it comes to crimes such as the one last Friday.

“Crimes affecting the vulnerable, whether it be dependent adults or children. If there’s ever a time for the state to step in and take away someone’s liberty, it’s when that person poses a threat to the most vulnerable members of our society. So those types of crimes are crimes where I feel an especially weighty burden to be looking out for those who can’t look out for themselves.”

Williams notes that by sending the message of probation, in certain cases, it sends a message to the rest of the world.

“They know there’s no punishment. We have criminals that actually tell us that. We come here because we know we’re going to get off easy. It’s hard for us because you’ve got to keep these new guys motivated to do their job.”

Williams adds not all sentences have been unfair, but he is concerned that if they can’t stop the drug traffickers, they’ll never stop thefts, burglaries, overdoses and mental health issues in the county. If the crime rate continues to go up, then people may not move here because of that.

Williams, along with Jefferson Police Chief Mark Clouse, are asking for the public’s help. They encourage residents to attend sentence hearings to show that everyone cares about the community and want to see it protected. Sentence hearings take place in the district courtroom of the courthouse the second and fourth Fridays every month. Contact the Clerk of Court’s office to find out information on a specific court hearing.