After spending a year in prison for violating gun laws by purchasing machine guns and silencers illegally, rapper T.I. is now on his way back to jail after violating his probation. After a drug violation in September, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, it became very possible that he would go back to jail. And Friday District Judge Charles Pannell Jr., sent Harris to jail for eleven months.
T.I. said to the judge, “I screwed up big time and I am sorry. I am sincerely sorry. I am scared that you will send me to prison.”
Judge Pannell contended that the rapper has already used up all of his second chances in life and that he would not be giving him another one. He made it clear that Harris has only two weeks to begin his sentence.
The judge’s ruling forced the rapper’s wife, Tameka Cottle, better known as “Tiny,” to storm out of the court crying.
Sally Yates, the prosecuting attorney, said that Harris should get two years in prison. She said that he deserved more time for going against not only his probation, but his plea agreement as well.
It cannot be disputed that Harris received a very generous plea agreement that barely sent him to prison for a year when the charges called for over thirty years behind bars. Part of the reason for the short prison term was that the rapper agreed to use his fame to preach the message of staying away from drugs and crime to children and teenagers.
Yates told the courtroom that Harris “Was supposed to be living what he was preaching.”
To his credit, Harris did work with the youth of America to spread the message he intended to. He said that he still wants to make sure that the message is given.
Harris tried to plead with the judge to get him help for his drugs problems rather than sending him back to prison. Harris said, “I need help. For me, my mother, my kids. I need the court to give me mercy.”
Harris then continued, “I want drugs out of my life. If I can get treatment and counseling I need, I can beat this.”
Harris’ involvement in getting a man to step off from the ledge of roof and not jump to his death in Atlanta, Georgia Wednesday was reported to the court Friday by one of the police officers present earlier in the week. There is no word on if the rapper’s good deed played a factor in the length of his sentence.
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