Judge Orders Burned Teen To "Write" His Wrongs
PALM BEACH (CBSMiami) - FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A drug court judge in Palm Beach County wants Michael Brewer to right his wrongs – in writing.
The Deerfield Beach teen, who made headline when he was set on fire by his classmates in 2009, was arrested last March on drug charges.
On June 27th he failed to show up at a required hearing, according to the Sun-Sentinel. When he showed up in court four days later, Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd ordered him to write a 500 word essay on acting responsibly including drug court. It's due by July 29th.
Brewer, 18, was arrested in Palm Beach County on March 20th and faced multiple drug charges including possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug equipment.
The arrest came after Brewer was stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper after he made an illegal u-turn on Belvedere Road east of State Road 7. He reportedly admitted to the trooper that he didn't have a valid driver driver's license. The trooper noted in the report "a strong odor of raw marijuana emanating from the vehicle's interior".
When asked if he had any illegal substances, Brewer reportedly told the trooper he had just bought some "bongs" and glass pipes.
The trooper asked Brewer to step out of the vehicle and while performing a pat down "a zip lock plastic bag containing a green leafy substance fell on the ground followed by a brown pill container, containing little white rocks."
A quick test showed the material in the bag was marijuana and the rocks were crack cocaine.
Brewer caught a break in May when the felony drug charges were transferred to the drug court program, where first-time offenders can avoid prosecution if they complete various conditions.
Until terms of the program, Brewer must attend substance abuse counseling, is tested twice a week randomly for drug use, must attend 12 weeks of drug education classes and attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
