HS Quarterback Will Not Face Jail Time After Pleading Guilty to Drug Charges

A former South Pointe High School quarterback will not spend time in jail on drug charges, as long as he can stay clean, according to the judge.

Davonta Blake, 18, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, May 14th, to three of the six felony drug charges after police arrested him for bringing marijuana to school last year and sold it. The other three drug charges were dropped.

If Blake had been found guilty of even those three drug charges, he faced up to 40 years in jail.

Circuit Court Judge John Hayes sentenced Blake to six years in prison, based on South Carolina’s Youthful Offender Act, but deferred any punishment until Blake completes a drug rehabilitation program.

“Everyone is in agreement that Mr. Blake deserves a second chance,” said Jennifer Colton, the assistant York County solicitor who prosecuted Blake.

“I feel like I let my community down, and that’s nothing I ever wanted to do,” Blake said in a York courtroom, reading from a letter to 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett. He also apologized for bringing embarrassment to his “South Pointe family, which seemed to be my only family at times.

“I understand some people…my age aren’t given a second chance, so I am very thankful.”

Last October, South Pointe administrators learned that marijuana was being sold on the school’s campus. They found Blake with seven wrapped packages of marijuana, which he kept in a large prescription pill bottle in his bag. After he was arrested on drug charges and escorted from campus, police searched his home, and found a jar in Blake’s room with 12 packages of marijuana, as well as messages on his cell phone that showed he was “engaged in the sale of marijuana.”

Blake’s attorney said that he is “very motivated to learn from his mistakes.” She pointed out that Blake only began selling marijuana to help support his family after his mother lost her job, and the family was forced to move in with other relatives. Since his arrest on drug charges, his attorney said, Blake has successfully completed classes with Keystone Substance Abuse Services, and found a job at Carowinds. He attends church regularly, and plans to take the ACT to attend Campbell University in North Carolina or Mississippi State University, where he hopes to play football, and hopes to attend  Georgia Prep Sports Academy in Atlanta before starting his college coursework.

However, if Blake does not complete the drug rehabilitation program, or tests positive for drugs or alcohol while attending the program, he will go to prison for six years on the drug charges.

“You’re a very gifted young man, and with great gifts come great responsibility,” Judge Hayes told Blake, saying that for Blake to succeed, he’ll have to “change your playmates and change your playing grounds.”

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Student Drug Charges for Marijuana

A drug charge can seriously damage your academic and professional future. However, being arrested does not mean that you are a bad person, that you are guilty, or that you do not have a defense. What it does mean is that you need aggressive representation to help you protect your academic and professional future. A conviction or bond forfeiture even for a simple possession conviction creates a criminal record and requires automatic suspension of your driver’s license.

You have worked hard to achieve your academic success and professional representation by one of our lawyers can help ensure that you protect your future. The Strom Law Firm understands the seriousness of drug charges for marijuana and other illegal substances in South Carolina. Contact the Strom Law Firm, LLC today for a free consultation to see how we can help. 803.252.4800