14 months in prison for Columbia man who violated parole after sentence was commuted
Nia Hinson
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man whose sentence was commuted by former President Joe Biden but was later accused of violating his parole was sentenced to 14 months in prison on Wednesday
A judge ruled Malcolm Redmon, 42 go back to prison for a little more than a year after a hearing on Wednesday. He’ll have to serve four years of supervised release after that.
A judge claimed he had “concerns” over some of the issues Redmon had run into after being released.
Redmon was released from federal custody in July after having his sentence commuted, but was taken into custody by Columbia Police in August on allegations of a parole violation.
A judge ruled in August that he be detained until his next hearing.
Redmon was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to being involved in a cocaine-selling ring in Mid-Missouri. He was one of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug charges to have their sentences commuted by Biden.
Prosecutors claimed in August that Redmon violated his parole by having alcohol at a halfway house and failing to tell his parole officer he was traveling more than 50 miles outside of Jackson County.
Prosecutors doubled down on that claim on Wednesday, stating Redmon was seen on tape with alcohol and was terminated from the RRC.
The prosecution asked the judge to revoke his release and sentence him to the 14 months in prison, emphasizing how quickly Redmon violated his parole after his release.
A judge also heard from Investigator Greg Wills, who claimed he did an interview with the man Redmon was allegedly seen giving alcohol to at the halfway house. Wills testified that the man told him Redmon gave him a soda, but that people did sometimes drink at the house, including himself.
The prosecution pushed back on his credibility, calling it “dubious” to have a soda in a brown paper bag, and noting that he had had been convicted of a felony in the past.
Redmon’s attorney asked the judge to sentence him to time served, claiming that her client had taken the necessary steps to rehabilitate, including getting a job and taking several courses. His attorney also noted the fact that Redmon had gotten an apartment.
She also stated that Redmon had not received a copy of his supervised released documents and claimed the state lacked sufficient evidence.
Redmon also briefly spoke to the judge and told him he was proud of himself for getting a job and was working toward the goal of receiving his commercial drivers license.
Redmon said he took full responsibility for the lack of communication he had with his parole officer, but pleaded with the judge, saying going back to prison would not allow him to change his narrative.
The judge ultimately said he agreed with the prosecution that having a soda in a brown bag was unbelievable. He also pushed back on Redmon’s attorney’s claims that Redmon wanted to stay in the Kansas City area, rather than in Columbia, noting that Columbia is the place he was arrested in.
The judge also said his concerns were that Redmon had run into “back-to-back hiccups” after being out of custody for a short period of time.