John Lee Davis Jr.
La Plata, MD – The heartbreak of families torn apart by heroin plays out on almost a daily basis in Charles County Circuit Court.
Melanie Bowling, whose family’s heirloom jewelry was stolen by John Lee Davis Jr., 26 of Ocean City, told Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West at Davis’ sentencing Tuesday, Aug. 9, that the defendant proposed marriage to their daughter.
“He violated our trust,” Bowling said. “He brought drugs and needles into our home. I feel insecure and violated.”
“Mr. Davis has a moderate record,” Charles County Assistant States Attorney Katrine Bakhtiary pointed out. “The victims opened their home to the defendant who has a history of addiction.”
The defendant stole jewelry, tools, DVDs and video games, she said.
“They opened up their home to him and he victimized the Bowlings,” Bakhtiary added.
Among the items Davis stole was the wedding band of Bowling’s great-grandmother.
“You can’t replace the priceless,” Charles County Assistant Public Defender John Getz responded. “This is not the same person who committed these offenses. At the time he was highly addicted to heroin and had been for some time. The drugs took over him,” he said.
Getz told West his client had paid $1,000 of the more than $3,100 he owes the victims. He said Davis had committed himself to drug treatment.
“Drugs became his god,” the defendant’s grandfather, Joseph Davis, told the court.
“I don’t have any memories of my life before I started using drugs,” the defendant admitted to West. “After I did what I did, I knew I was going to die. I’m slowly starting to get feelings back. it was over a decade and a half of lying and stealing.”
“For you, it was the perfect storm,” West told Davis. “This is a no-win case. On one side of it, you’ve taken steps to get your heroin addiction under control and I hope you do. But when you go into someone’s home, which is their core of security, and steal from them, what Mrs. Bowling told the court, that emotion is as real as it gets. That side justifies a five-year sentence.
“At the end of the day, there are a lot of things in this case and not a lot in the middle,” the judge added. “He’s done bad things, he’s done some good things.”
West sentenced Davis to 15 years with all but 40 months suspended and placed him on five years of supervised probation.
The judge ordered him to start paying $75 a month restitution beginning 90 days after his release.
“Mr. Davis affected our lives so much more than he will ever know,” Bowling told West. “My heart breaks over and over,” she added.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com