Dominique Ramell Jarrett
A 17-year-old was sent to state prison on Monday for his part in carjacking a Good Samaritan couple in July 2013 in East Brainerd.
Judge Don Poole sentenced Dominique Ramell Jarrett to eight years in prison - the time agreed earlier in a plea deal.
Defense attorney Mike Acuff had asked for probation, saying Jarrett had already served 14 months in jail. Judge Poole, calling it "a reprehensible act," noted that Jarrett is a Range 1 offender and will likely be up for parole consideration soon.
Prosecutor Cameron Williams said Jarrett had been in trouble since age 12 when he took his mother's debit card and spent $4,000 on phones. He said he had been recommended nine times to have his probation revoked as a juvenile, and it had been revoked seven times.
He stole two vehicles - one from a neighbor when he was 14 and a Ford F150 pickup truck from a parent at a group home in Greeneville, Tn., when he was 16.
His mother, Veronica Scott, said she believes her ex-husband led her son into crime. She said he turned bad when he was 12 and she introduced him to his father, who authorities say has an extensive record and has done time in prison.
The couple said they were on Igou Gap Road headed to Mr. Zip to get gas when they saw someone lying at the edge of the road. They went back and insisted on taking him to the hospital. Then the youth, who had been faking a limp, and three associates surrounded the couple. Several were armed with toy guns.
They took the couple's car with the woman's purse inside. Jarrett said he found the purse with $810 inside and did not tell the others.
They were quickly caught because the woman left her cell phone in the car and her boyfriend was able to use his cell phone to track it.
There was conflicting testimony on whether Jarrett was the one lying by the road or one of those who put a gun to the head of the couple.
Prosecutor Williams said the carjackers "took advantage of this couple's compassion, goodness and ability to show mercy - using this against them. It sets a precedent for a chilling effect on those who would help others."
Jarrett, who said he has a one-year-old son, said he wants to resume his education at Central High School. He said he has been going to church while in jail. The prosecutor asked if he was familiar with "the Parable of the Good Samaritan." Jarrett said he was not.