Three alleged gang members got credit for the nearly six years they spent in jail awaiting trial in plea deals approved Tuesday in Richmond County Superior Court.
Darrell Hill, Marion Daggett and Marquese Parrish were three of 17 defendants accused in a sweeping 2017 indictment that included murder, drugs, weapons, street gang terrorism and racketeering charges.
Brian Patterson, the special prosecutor named last year to the case due to District Attorney Jared Williams having a conflict, said he strove for consistency in sentencing the three and several other defendants in the case.
Judge Jesse Stone accepted the recommendations agreed on by the defendants, giving each a maximum of 20 years concurrent with shorter sentences, with credit for time served and the remaining years on probation. The three had been in the Charles B. Webster Detention Center since October 2016 but Hill bonded out last July.
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The 2017 indictment covered a three-year period in which the defendants were accused of engaging in gang activity by jointly operating drug houses, selling drugs and using drug proceeds to support one another, committing numerous thefts, unlawfully possessing guns, instilling fear in others through criminal acts and violence and documenting it with social media posts.
The defendants were members of LOE or Loyalty Over Everything, a gang that grew out of the Shirley Avenue Boys from its origins on Shirley Avenue off Olive Road, according to the indictment. In 2016, the gang had around 50 members and included Jennings Homes and other areas, it said.
Daggett, Hill and Parrish each entered no contest or Alford pleas, which don’t admit guilt but result in a conviction, to a handful of the counts against them.
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Stone sentenced Hill for violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, theft by receiving and carrying a concealed weapon without a license. Daggett was sentenced for violating the street gang act and possessing methamphetamine and controlled substances. Daggett was sentenced for violating the Racketeering-Influenced Organizations Act, which carried a $1,000 fine.
Their release and probation were subject to numerous conditions including having no contact with each other or other gang members and being subject to drug testing and random searches without a warrant. They can’t wear or display gang colors, symbols or clothing.
Prosecutors dropped all charges against five of the 12 remaining defendants last year. Two, Charles Gillians and Kevin Hanna, have subsequent indictments for conducting gang activity at the jail.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
