Dequan Deshawn Willard, image from Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office
Dequan Deshawn Willard was rearrested Friday, accused of trying to fake a urine test days after now-former President Joe Biden commuted his prison sentence.
Willard, 30 of Lubbock, pleaded guilty in a 2016 “criminal street gang” and cocaine conspiracy case along with William Emmanuel Spence, Jasmine Jamal Spence and Antonio Deon Ray Montgomery. Officers confiscated guns and more than two kilograms of cocaine, said press releases in the case.
Lubbock County Sheriff Kelly Rowe was not happy to find out Willard was back in Lubbock.
“These guys are involved in serious crimes and of course the Biden administration wants to make it sound like these are non-violent offenders. And they’re not,” Rowe said.
Biden also shortened the sentences of the Spence brothers, explained in more detail below. Montgomery already served his sentence and was not granted clemency.
The president’s order shortened Willard’s prison sentence, but he was still subject to a 5-year term of supervised release – similar but not quite the same as parole. That became the basis of his arrest.
A court hearing on Monday revealed details; Willard checked in with federal officers for his supervised release. Willard was caught with a plastic bag full of diluted coffee in his crotch during a urine test, according to what a prosecutor told the magistrate in court.
The prosecutor also said Willard admitted to using a form of synthetic marijuana called K-2. Willard was arrested at the Mahon Federal Building in downtown Lubbock right after he was caught with the plastic bag.
“Our guys already went back and captured the guy,” Rowe said.
A new document filed in the case Monday said Willard could be locked up for another 3 to 9 months. That same document said Willard used K-2 while he was still in federal custody.
Biden’s impact on the criminal case
Willard took a plea deal for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Willard was originally sentenced to 168 months – which is 14 years. A judge earlier this year shortened it to 12 years. Then, Biden shortened it even more in his clemency order – down to 100 months, which is eight years and four months. The shorter sentence is either complete or nearly complete depending on whether Willard got credit for good behavior in prison.
The Spences and Montgomery all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. William Spence was sentenced to more than 15 years. Jasmine Spence was originally sentenced to more than 12 years. Montgomery was sentenced to 2½ years.
The Spences both had their sentenced reduced slightly through the court system before getting clemency from the president.
In December, Biden commuted the sentence of Jasmine Spence so it expired three days before Christmas. On the same day as offering clemency to Willard, Biden ordered William Spence’s sentence to end on February 17.
Technically, Biden commuted the sentences; these are not pardons. For all three men, the felony convictions stay on their records.
Rowe said, “We can’t control what the federal government does with people that are charged with federal crimes.”
There were state charges filed against Willard before his federal indictment. But those were dismissed when Willard took a federal plea deal. Rowe was not sure if local prosecutors could do something more.
“The bottom line, this guy is no saint. We know, as a law enforcement organization, this is a bad cat. He should never have been cut loose – like most of them,” the sheriff said.
Not the only local case
Biden also offered clemency to Benny Judah and Jody Nelson – two men convicted of high-profile financial crimes in Lubbock.
Judah took a federal plea deal in 2010 – admitting he defrauded 250 or so investors of nearly $60 million. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In December Biden’s clemency set an expiration date of April 11 for Judah’s prison sentence. Judah will still need to meet his requirements for supervised release.
Nelson took a plea deal in 2006 – admitting he stole nearly $78 million from his employer, Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. He was sentenced to 25 years. Biden reset Nelson’s sentence to expire in December.
In 2009, Bobby Duwayne Froman of Levelland, pleaded guilty for “ … his role as the leader and organizer of a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization.”
Froman was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but Biden commuted Froman’s sentence – setting it to expire three days before Christmas.
Rowe was not impressed.
“Sinful. It is just totally sinful. These guys are getting off the hook – or got let off the hook – for crimes they committed,” Rowe said.
Please click here to support Lubbock Lights.
Comment, react or share on our Facebook post.
Facebook