A Henderson County judge sentenced a Kaufman man to ten years in jail after he pleaded guilty to shooting at a teenager during a drive-by.
Ja Kerry De Mon Smallwood, 21, was sentenced by Judge R. Scott McKee in Athens’ 392nd District Court after evidence proved his guilt and he forfeited his right to a jury trial, court documents show.
After Smallwood pleaded guilty to three charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, McKee sentenced him and deferred further proceedings, placing him on ten-year probation for two of the counts.
Smallwood, a teenager at the time of the shooting, is one of three men accused with the incident, which injured a 15-year-old boy.
According to Athens police, a white four-door car driven by five people, including Smallwood, approached three juveniles and pointed firearms at them.
The adults shot multiple rounds before hitting a 15-year-old child on the right foot. He was treated at a local hospital and then released.
According to an affidavit, police obtained a neighboring security footage that captured the shooting, and a Malakoff ISD officer identified Smallwood and former student Kaden Lamont Wilson.
A third man, Kenyon “KBK” Arness Butler, was identified when a detective received a tip from the mother of one of the injured boy’s pals, according to an affidavit.
According to court documents, Smallwood received 162 days of credit for time served in county jail.
Wilson and Butler are awaiting jury trials for their charges, which are slated on May 12 and August 11, respectively.
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