Howard County prosecutors sought a prison sentence of more than a century for a man accused of firing a rifle at a police SWAT team.
“One hundred and twenty-five years ? we believe this is, in fact, an appropriate sentence,” Assistant State?s Attorney Kim Oldham told Howard Circuit Court Judge Dennis Sweeney.
On Monday, the judge honored part of their request.
Sweeney sentenced Delcarlos Johnnie Jacobs, 22, to 35 years in prison after police said he fired a round at a Howard County SWAT team, then ran from the scene dodging 29 return shots from the 15-man unit.
“The response of Mr. Jacobs was clearly of a very dangerous and criminal nature,” Sweeney said.
In October, the jury acquitted Jacobs of the most serious charge police leveled against him ? attempted first-degree murder ? but convicted him of attempted second-degree murder, assault and reckless endangerment.
Police allege that Jacobs provoked the SWAT team to fire at him 29 times at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 1, 2006, by raising a rifle he was holding at the officers and firing it ? a claim Jacobs has repeatedly denied.
The officers were at his Columbia home to serve a warrant for burglary, they said.
Jacobs? attorneys said the officers? stories are unbelievable because no bullet nor shell from Jacobs? gun was found.
Jenny Parks, his public defender, told the judge to consider Jacobs? young age, that his father is in prison and that he has been incarcerated for much of his life, including a prison stint at age 18.
“Prison and the juvenile system, they don?t teach you how to be a man,” Jacobs told the judge. “They teach you how to keep reoffending.”
