Prosecutors say Michael Shavers deceived the court to get a favorable sentence. His defenders say he needs a chance to work to truly rehabilitate. And a Chattanooga judge said Thursday the court will consider everything before deciding whether to send Shavers to prison for violating a lenient probation agreement he received for shooting his ex-girlfriend and another man.
Michael Shavers (Photo credit: hcsheriff.gov)Shavers, 25, faced two charges of attempted first-degree murder that each carried 15 to 25 years in prison for opening fire on Ashley Harris and Joshua Maples in a Waffle House parking lot in February 2015. Prosecutors, though, gave him a “significant reduction” in 2018 because he testified against a friend in a triple homicide and helped authorities locate hidden murder weapons.
Although Harris’ mother objected to the sentence, Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tom Greenholtz said he didn’t want to overstep his authority and accepted a plea agreement that placed Shavers on 10 years’ probation and house arrest.
The case seemed over – until officers accused Shavers of violating his probation this past fall when he failed drug screenings and admitted to smoking marijuana and taking Xanax. Everyone returned Thursday to court, where prosecutors pushed to send Shavers to prison and public defenders pleaded for more time for Shavers to restore himself.
Executive Assistant District Attorney Cameron Williams argued Shavers lied to his probation officer about why he moved locations. It wasn’t because of a family disagreement, the prosecutor said, but because Shavers was using illegal drugs. Before he received probation, Williams said, Shavers also downplayed his drug use to a probation officer in the hopes of receiving a light sentence.