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Biden commutes sentence for Columbia man convicted for being involved in Mid-Missouri cocaine ring

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who pleaded guilty to selling crack in Mid-Missouri for several years will get out of jail a decade sooner than he was sentenced.

Malcolm Redmon was arrested in August 2014 by local and federal law enforcement on Sanford Avenue in central Columbia. In 2016, he was sentenced to 24 years and four months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being involved in a cocaine-selling ring in Mid-Missouri from 2011-14, according to previous reporting.

Redmon was one of 27 people arrested in 2014 throughout Missouri and Illinois.

Federal authorities accused him of being the leader of the operation, claiming he directed sales and converted the cocaine to crack.

Court records show Redmon will be released on July 16, following former President Joe Biden's record-setting commuting sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted on nonviolent drug charges.

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said the prosecutor's office learned Tuesday that Redmon's sentence had been commuted, but aren't in agreement that the crimes weren't violent.

"The federal prosecutors get involved in cases when there's a concern of local violent activities and sometimes they're able to use the drug enforcement laws to break up local gangs," Johnson said. "So, the concern that we would have is on paper, these look like nonviolent drug offenses."

The prosecutor in the case, Michael Oliver pushed for a 30-year sentence calling Redmon a "manifest danger to the community," citing his history of arrests.

He was accused of being involved in shootings during that time period, including one outside the old Boone Tavern while he was on house arrest. He also was in jail, prison or supervised release between 2000-13, according to previous reporting.

Johnson said local and state prosecutors struggled to successfully prosecute the people that were involved in the shootings due to witnesses being scared to come forward out of fear of retaliation.

However, Johnson said he was suspected of being involved in a large number of shootings at the time.

"It wasn't just really that there were such a large number of shootings but they were in such public places where lots of people were placed at risk besides just the individuals involved in drug sales," Johnson said.

Guillermo Ortiz Perez, Teka Hayes, Marlon Jordan, Vershawn Edwards and Kenneth Scott, Sr. were also sentenced for their roles. Scott provided several kilograms of powder cocaine to many of the other suspects. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

During his sentencing in 2016, Redmon's attorney David Kelly argued prosecutors overstated his role in the cocaine-selling ring, claiming they failed to focus on the others involved. Evidence found Perez, Ortiz and Teka Hayes dealt with massive amounts of the drugs but calls and texts and extensive surveillance of Redmon helped paint him as the head of the organization, according to previous reporting.

Kelly also claimed Redmon had a drug problem and fueled his habit through selling it.

Executive Director of In 2 Action, a nonprofit organization in Columbia, Dan Hanneken told ABC 17 News via email that while he's unable to speak on the specifics of Redmon's case, people are given commutation for various reasons.

Hanneken said he believes the community needs to focus on providing resources for people in these situations as if they had served the entire sentence.

"I do think it's important for the community to understand that a commutation is nothing like a pardon or an expungement. The commutation is simply a reduction in sentence so it's important to recognize this person will likely need the same supports and resources as if they served the full sentence if we want them to be successful in our community and not reoffend," the statement reads.

According to Johnson, Redmon will still be on supervision from federal probation and parole officers after he's released.

Article Topic Follows: Crime

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Nia Hinson

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