DETROIT – Having a criminal conviction on your record could cost you a job or even educational opportunities.
That’s why some teens who make mistakes that could destroy their future are being given a second chance through the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act. Most do well with that second chance, but not all.
The act gives individuals between the ages of 17 and 24 a second chance. They can be placed on probation with court approval and it only can be done with certain kinds of crimes. If the young person completes the probationary term, their criminal record will remain clean.
According to court documents, one young man who was given that second chance made a big mistake when he posted on Instagram. The photos are available in court documents in the case against Jaquavious Coleman-Humphrey.
Humphrey was part of the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act for offenses he committed last year, including carrying a concealed weapon and assaulting, resisting and obstructing a police officer. If he stayed away from guns and out of trouble, his record would be wiped clean. But federal agents said Coleman-Humphrey broke the law and went to Instagram to boast about his illegal activities.
“It’s called blissful ignorance,” Steve Dolunt said.
Dolunt is the former assistant Detroit police chief. He said the case is not unique. He said you’d be surprised how often police track down illegal activity just because someone wants to brag on social media.
“We see it all the time if it’s Snapchats, texts -- they don’t use Facebook, really,” Dolunt said.
According to court documents, Coleman-Humphrey posted videos showed him in possession of multiple firearms and pointing a gun at the camera. In a different post from this summer, the 21-year-old can be seen in a bedroom with two firearms on his chest.
The guns were recovered from Coleman-Humphrey’s home after a federal search warrant following law enforcement’s observations of several social media posts in which he displayed those firearms.
Coleman-Humphrey is looking at federal firearm charges that could get him up to 15 years in prison. He has been denied bond and faces a jury trial in January.