Two sentenced for marijuana distribution

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009

Jamar D. Mackall, 32, who pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of marijuana, was sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections with all but 18 months suspended on one count and four years with all suspended on the second count followed by probation by Judge Marjorie Clagett.

Mackall spoke prior to sentencing and said, "I had never got in trouble before."

Three months prior to selling marijuana in June 2008, Mackall said he lost his job and needed to pay bills and cover child support.

"I thought I could make quick money," he said.

"You made poor judgments, ones you're paying for now," Clagett said.

Mackall, who was represented by Robert Harvey Jr. of Prince Frederick, was originally indicted on four separate indictments for distribution of marijuana.

Christine Tomco, 29, was sentenced to three years of serving weekends with all but 15 weekends suspended for her guilty plea to maintaining a common nuisance, which means that her home was used for the purpose of distributing marijuana.

On June 26 during a search of the home they shared together, police found 142 grams of ‘‘green vegetable matter suspected to be marijuana" in a plastic bag, a digital scale and a red cup containing a trace amount of suspected marijuana in the dinning room, according to charging documents. Police also found 3.5 grams of marijuana in Mackall's pants pocket and plastic baggies containing numerous smaller jewelry bags, court records state.

The pair's sentence included forfeiting $865 confiscated during the search.

Calvert County Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Ridge argued that Tomco knew drug dealing was going on in her residence and benefited from it, so she did not want to see a sentence of only probation.

"You enabled Mr. Mackall to sell drugs from your home," she told Tomco.

"She needs to suffer the consequences of at least seeing some weekends," Ridge said.

Harvey, who also represented Tomco, told the court that she only had minor violations on her record such as animal control and alcohol violations.

"This is her first serious brush with the law," he said, and asked the court for leniency.

charvat@somdnews.com