CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A Harrison County man will potentially spend up to 10 years in prison after he attempted to bribe a police officer during a traffic stop in which he was found with drugs and money.
Shawnquel Lathan Holmes, 25, of Clarksburg, received six months on a second offense possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana misdemeanor charge and 1-10 years on felony bribery of a public official charge.
The sentences will run concurrently and he will be eligible for parole after a year served with credit to time already served, according to his defense attorney.
Back in July, Holmes was stopped by a Clarksburg Police Officer and found with the marijuana and $3,500 in cash. It was then he offered to pay the officer $1,500 in exchange for his release.
He was additionally charged with possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and obstruction, but those two charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.
Before the sentence was issued, the defense argued that Holmes should be allowed to serve his sentence on probation while checking it with the Harrison County Day Report Center.
The reasoning would have been to allow Holmes to care for his girlfriend’s medical needs and to seeking treatment for his drug abuse.
However, Harrison County Circuit Court Judge James Matish determined that because Holmes was a previous offender, led to believe he was a drug dealer due to the amount of cash found in the vehicle and because he failed a drug test which resulted in his bond being revoked, that his sentence would best be served incarcerated.
Matish recommended Holmes serve his time in a facility that would be able to provide drug abuse treatment.