Local man is free after a no contest plea

Posted 2/22/21

Man is free after entering no contest plea to violation of probation on battery of detention staff charges.

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Local man is free after a no contest plea

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OKEECHOBEE – After entering a plea of no contest to violation of probation, a local man was sentenced to 435 days in the county jail, but with time served  is now free.

Devin Small’s probation order was revoked after he was charged with several crimes, violating the probation.

The probation resulted from Small's arrest in April 2019. He was charged with two counts battery on detention staff. At the time, Small was a detainee at the Okeechobee Juvenile Correction Facility.

In September 2019, Small, who is now 21, entered a plea of no contest and was adjudicated guilty. By then, he was out of the OJYC and was placed on probation as a youthful offender for a term of 36 months.

In April of 2020, Small was arrested in Putnam County, Fla. and charged with tampering with evidence, possession of marijuana over 20 grams, obstructing an officer without violence and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to the report, Small was riding a bicycle with no lights at about 10:30 p.m. Palatka Police Officer Stephen Reece activated his lights, but Small refused to stop. Reece rolled down his window and gave several verbal commands but was ignored. Finally, Small pulled over and reportedly appeared very nervous. He pulled a bag from his pocket and threw it over a fence. The bag was located and found to contain marijuana. Small also carried a set of black weighing scales.

On April 24, 2020, an Okeechobee County warrant was issued for his arrest, and in December, he was arrested and held without bond.

In February 2021, he entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced to one year, two months and 10 days in county jail. Because he has already served one year, two months and 10 days in the county jail, he is no longer confined.

The charges in Putnam County were dropped.

arrest, Putnam County, OCSO

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