Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 21, 1994 TAG: 9405210053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
Jefferson, co-captain of the Virginia basketball team that won the National Invitation Tournament in 1980, received a 10-year prison sentence of which all but 90 days was suspended.
Jefferson had been found guilty of five counts of forgery, five counts of uttering and one count of robbery. Judge Mosby Perrow accepted defense attorney Vanessa Hicks' request to reduce the robbery charge to larceny.
"In light of everything I was up against, I can't complain," said Jefferson, who could serve as little as 45 days if given credit for good behavior. "When I saw in the pre-sentencing report that I could serve anywhere from 16 to 40 years, it made my jaw drop.
"I knew what I'd done was serious, but that made me realize just how serious. I didn't know what was going to happen today."
Perrow made note of an outpouring of support for Jefferson, who was greeted by two dozen E.C. Glass High School students upon his arrival in the courtroom. Jefferson was a teacher and boys' basketball coach coach at Glass until he took a leave of absence Jan. 31, 1993.
Four character witnesses spoke in Jefferson's defense, including current UVa coach Jeff Jones, who was a teammate of Jefferson from 1978-80.
"I would describe him as a very caring person, an open person [and] someone who easily made friends with people from all walks of life," said Jones, who said he has offered Jefferson a position on the staff at his summer camp.
Jefferson admitted he had become addicted to cocaine when he was arrested Nov. 18 and charged with robbery after taking the purse of a Lynchburg woman, Lisa Glass.
Jefferson, 35, subsequently spent a month at Serenity House, a rehabilitation center in Fredericksburg, and is enrolled in an outpatient substance-abuse program in Charlottesville. He attends two meetings a week of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
"What hurts me so much is that I've disrupted so many people's lives," said Jefferson, a star player at Covington High School who was named Timesland Player of the Year in 1977. "I feel a lot of remorse, shame, guilt, disappointment."
It was just over a year ago that Jefferson was arrested for forgery and passing forged checks (uttering) during a six-day period May 10-15, 1993. He subsequently missed two scheduled court appearances.
"I was still in denial about my drug problem," said Jefferson, who said he started using crack cocaine in August 1992. "I was not ready to take the next step.
"The robbery was the bottom. I hope the court doesn't take this the wrong way [because] I don't want to say I'm glad it happened, but it took something of that magnitude to get me turned around. Otherwise, I might not be sitting here today."
Prosecutor Kim White said she was a student at UVa when Jefferson was a player and never missed one of the Cavaliers' game, "but I don't think the court can say, `Go and sin no more,' " she said in her closing argument.
White pushed for an "active" sentence.
"This case is truly a sad one," she said, "but the message has to be sent to society that these types of crimes simply will not be tolerated and cocaine [usage] cannot be excused. If the court chooses to suspend a portion of the sentence, he should have a large period of time hanging over his head."
Jefferson was placed on supervised probation for five years and will be subject to random drug screenings at the discretion of his parole officer. Perrow agreed to allow Jefferson to serve the time in Charlottesville, where he now lives, and under a work-release plan that would require only that he sleep at the facility.
Jefferson's attorney, Hicks, produced documents from school officials at E.C. Glass and Covington inviting him to speak on the perils of drug use and abuse. Jefferson said he hopes to pursue a master's degree in school administration if accepted by UVa.
"The last year of my life has been pure hell," Jefferson said, "but I'm feeling better about myself every day. My lifeline is my therapy; I feel I can bring a whole lot more to the table, whatever direction my life might take."
by CNB