The Day It All Changed

Hello all. It’s me again. I’m one of Sherry’s clients and telling my story with the hope that my legal drama will help others in similar situations.

Due to my initial charges, I was given five years of probation with the chance to end it early, if I could pay the ordered restitution before that time period.

Things had been going pretty well with my probation and I’d even been placed on Independent Reporting Status (IRS) after only four or five months of going in to see my Probation Officer in person monthly. IRS is when you only call monthly and mail in the Monthly Report instead of traveling to the Probation Office. It’s definitely preferable, as the office is generally crowded on reporting days and the officers usually seem stressed because of having to see so many people in a single day.

The only time I had to go into the office on IRS was when I needed to pick up a pre-authorized travel document. You can travel up to 30 days on Florida Probation, as long as it is approved by your Probation Officer and their supervisor. I never had any trouble getting approved when I wanted to visit my family in another state and did so several times in the first two years. The only other time a person on probation (that isn’t drug or alcohol related) would otherwise have to go into the office is if they are selected for a random drug test. I’d been tested once and passed just before being put on IRS.

I decided to travel for early 2015 and was approved. Upon my return back to town, I was called within a few days by my officer to report to the office. I knew what this was for, but I didn’t want to believe it. Why would I be nervous? Well, I’d slipped up and used marijuana on my trip. Major mistake!

Sure enough, I went into the Probation Office the next day and had to submit to the Urine Analysis drug test on the spot. He asked if I wanted to sign a form admitting that I had used marijuana. I told him that I did not. I was obviously shaken as I was thinking of how this was going to affect my probation and employment. He told me that he would be sending the test off for a lab to confirm the result.

I was able to leave and go home, but I knew that, once again, my allegations from a few years prior were back to be the major stressor in my life. I should have consulted with an attorney, like Sherry, right then. But I still didn’t feel I could afford one. Yet, Sherry’s consultations are free! No excuse.

I’d made another mistake and continued to learn life’s lessons. What a mess I was in.

(To be continued…)

**This is the second installment in a series of testimonial blog posts of a client of Sherry Ivey Jones. This is not, in any way, to be construed as legal advice, as every case and scenario is different. Yet, it is the hope of Sherry Ivey Jones Law Firm that this client testimonial will provide insight for those seeking information on criminal law relating to probation and violation of probation cases.**