Cordarrius Bonds
A Chattanooga man who has been continually involved in crime and infractions since age 13 has been sentenced to serve 186 months in federal prison.
Cordarrius Bonds, 27, appeared before Federal Judge Travis McDonough.
He went away to state prison on an eight-year term when he was 19, then he was caught with a gun after a police pursuit a few months after getting out. Prosecutor Chris Poole said he was charged with rape of a female juvenile at age 13. then was involved in several robberies. In one of the hold-ups, two women were forced to lie down on the floor while items were taken from them. He was involved in another incident in which a shot was fired that came close to a girl who was sleeping in her bedroom.
Prosecutor Chris Poole also Bonds was also involved in the theft of three guns from the home of a Red Bank police officer.
Bonds had 27 write-ups while in prison.
The judge said he found few "redeeming qualities" in Bonds and said he had put himself in the position of having him sentence him to prison "until they carry you out in a body bag."
With Bonds categorized as an armed career criminal, the advisory sentencing range was 180-188 months. Judge McDonough noted he could go upward as much as a life term.
However, after hearing from Bonds, he settled on the 186 months.
Bonds said it is "easy to get in a gang, but it is really, really hard" to get out of one. He said when he got out of prison he also faced the fact that his gang members had turned against him. He said he was shot at the second day he was out.
He said he was caught carrying a gun in a holster "in order to protect myself."
Bonds said the arrest came after he ran into an officer at a Tyner basketball game he said had it in for him. He said a short time later the officer tried to stop him, then he ran a stop sign and took off. He said he had no driver's license at the time because it had been revoked earlier.
A woman who said she is the girlfriend of Bonds submitted a letter saying he had been helping care for her three daughters.