La Plata, MD – Frederick Tyrone Anderson, 43 of Waldorf was sentenced to 10 years Jan. 28, 2014 for manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance-not marijuana. Things got complicated after he was granted what is typically referred to in court as an 8507 for addiction treatment.

The only problem, according to Charles County Deputy States Attorney Karen Piper-Mitchell, is that when he finished his treatment, Jude House released him March 15. He has been in aftercare for the past four-and-a-half months, Anderson’s attorney, Thomas C. Mooney explained.

With eight years left on his sentence, this placed the defendant in a precarious position when he appeared before Charles County Circuit Court Judge Helen I. Harrington Monday, Aug. 1.

“This case is in a very unusual position,” Harrington noted.

“That is correct,” Piper-Mitchell stated. “He was not supposed to be released.”

The fact that he was released, “was through no fault of Mr. Anderson,” Mooney asserted. “Since he has been out, he secured a job. He completed the program at Jude House with honors.”

Piper-Mitchell, however, said the reason the defendant did so well in treatment was because he was a distributor, not a user.

“Nothing in his file says he was a user,” she noted.

“I’ve never seen the 8507,” Piper-Mitchell said.

Mooney handed up to the judge a letter by Jude House Executive Director Mary Lynn Hodgson, which she read, along with another document.

“It’s very disappointing this has not been seen until today,” Harrington said. “We have nothing to indicate he’s been released.”

Anderson testified that he completed treatment in 120 days. He said he was told after completing the program he would have to go to the Charles County Health Department, which was what he did.

“They just let him out,” Piper-Mitchell said after the defendant’s testimony. “For him to have just served 24 months—that is below the guidelines. He needs to be incarcerated until he has served his sentence.”

Mooney said his client had to serve at least one-quarter of his sentence and he was almost there with the time he had served.

Harrington settled the issue by having Anderson placed in handcuffs and confined to the Charles County Detention Center.

She said there were gaps in where he has been and more documentation from the health department was needed.

“We can hold him here until we can get him another hearing,” she said. The judge set the hearing for Aug. 3.

Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com