Two charges of malicious conduct by a prisoner, along with two charges of obtaining property by false pretenses, landed one Beaufort County man a minimum 17-month prison stay in the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections system.

William Lane Jefferson, 19, pleaded guilty to the four charges Wednesday in Beaufort County Superior Court and was given a consolidated sentence of 17 to 30 months in prison for the Class F, malicious conduct felonies, and a suspended 10 to 21 months in prison and 36 months of probation after his release for the two false pretense charges.

During Assistant District Attorney Lloyd Williams summary of the case, he told the court the false pretense charges arose from the theft of a State Employees Credit Union debit card from Jefferson’s grandparents in April 2012. The card was used to make unauthorized transactions until the account was closed, Williams said.

The malicious conduct charges came from an incident that occurred while Jefferson was incarcerated at the Beaufort County jail, in which Jefferson spit on a detention officer.

“I think what this boils down to is mental health,” defense attorney Mario Perez informed Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons Jr.

Perez told the court that Jefferson suffers from bipolar disorder and severe depression, for which he has been prescribed medication since he’s been in prison. However, before being incarcerated, Jefferson was essentially self-medicating with “Spice,” a synthetic marijuana containing plant material and chemical additives that can produce relaxation and elevated mood, but can also cause psychotic effects like extreme anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations in some users.

In November, a press release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office stated that Jefferson was charged with malicious conduct by a prisoner after being found with no clothing, feces smeared on himself and in the detention cell, after which he spit on the detention officer that was observing him.

Jefferson told Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons Jr. that, at the time, he was not on any medication, had not heard from his family while he was incarcerated,

and felt like there was “no hope.”

“You spit through the wire in our jail where it’s supposed to be safe for our officers,” Sermons noted. “Anybody can do that at any time down there to any of our officers?”

“Yes, they can,” Jefferson said.

Sermons asked if there was any restitution owed to the county for the cost of the detention officer’s shots and medical tests — standard procedure when officers come in contact with inmates’ bodily fluids. According to the prosecution, the county had not submitted any such costs to the District Attorney’s Office.

 

In the plea arrangement with the state, sentencing for the four charges was consolidated into two judgments, running consecutively, while several other charges were dismissed.

But according to Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons Jr., prison appeared to be the only option for Jefferson to get the psychiatric help he needs, as it was established Jefferson had never had any long-term psychiatric care.

“Mr. Jefferson, you have to get some treatment and this is the only way I know for you to get it,” Sermons told the defendant after his sentencing.

Sermons ordered that a proper mental health therapist must evaluate Jefferson and the Department of Corrections must render the defendant all treatment as necessary.