LEONARDTOWN — A Lexington Park man who threw a baggie of fentanyl out of his car window as a deputy tried to pull him over will spend 16 years in prison, half of it because the new crime violated his probation in two earlier cases.
Jamal Kedrick Demetrius Davis, 30, was sentenced to 20 years for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, with 8 years to be served, St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced Oct. 26. A judge added a separate 8-year prison term for the probation violations, to run after the drug sentence, according to the release.
The result is 16 years of active incarceration. The remaining 12 years of the drug sentence are suspended, meaning they can be imposed later if Davis violates the terms of his release.
The traffic stop
The case began March 1, when a St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputy tried to stop a vehicle for running a red light, according to prosecutors. As the deputy started the stop, the vehicle sped up. The deputy then saw a clear plastic baggie thrown from the window onto the roadway before the vehicle stopped and pulled over.
Deputies removed Davis from the vehicle. Lab testing confirmed that the gray powder in the baggie was fentanyl, prosecutors said. A search of the vehicle turned up baking soda and several bundles of cash totaling more than $6,000. The release did not say where in the county the stop occurred or how much fentanyl the baggie held.
Davis pleaded guilty in August to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Under Maryland Criminal Law Section 5-602, distributing or possessing with intent to distribute a narcotic such as fentanyl carries up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 for a first offense, under the penalty provision in Section 5-608. The 20-year sentence matched that maximum, with most of it suspended.
Repeat offenders and supervision
Davis was on probation from convictions in two prior cases when he was arrested. The release did not describe those cases.
“Holding individuals accountable for new offenses and addressing violations of court-ordered supervision are important parts of our work to promote public safety and protect our community from repeat offenders and this dangerous drug,” Sterling said in the release.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Lisa Ridge, the office’s chief of narcotics, prosecuted the case. Cpl. Travis Wimberly of the Sheriff’s Office was the lead investigator, and St. Mary’s County Circuit Judge Joseph Stanalonis presided.
Lexington Park defendants have faced long sentences in other drug cases. In May, the Chronicle reported that another Lexington Park man received 110 months in a federal drug and gun case. In 2022, a Lexington Park man was sentenced to 45 years for distributing fentanyl and heroin.
Anyone who suspects drug activity in St. Mary’s County can contact the Sheriff’s Office. If someone shows signs of an overdose, such as slow or stopped breathing or unresponsiveness, call 911 and give naloxone if it is available. Maryland’s Good Samaritan law offers some protection from arrest for people who seek help during an overdose.
