LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A Maryland man was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for the assault of a child.
Devonte Arnez Shubrooks, 29, was found guilty of felony first-degree assault on March 9 after a three-day trial. A St. Mary’s County jury convicted Shubrooks of strangulating an 11-year-old in May of 2022.
During the sentencing, the state requested Shubrooks be sentenced to the maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. The Maryland Sentencing Guidelines called for a sentence between two and seven years.
Under Maryland Law, first-degree assault is considered a felony because it is defined as a crime of violence. If convicted, the law requires you serve at least half of your sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
For those with a prior criminal record, probation may not be an option, resulting in the person charged having to serve their entire sentence. This is Shubrooks first violent criminal offense. So, despite being given the maximum penalty, the judge is only requiring that he serve a mandatory term of ten years of the 25-year sentence. Shubrooks has been at the St. Mary’s County Detention Center without bond since the warrant for his arrest was served back in May of last year.
As of now, it is uncertain if the year he has spent in jail will count towards his sentencing.