Patrick to be sentenced on weapons charge

Patrick

By JOE PERRY
Item Senior Staff Writer
jperry@theitem.com

The 23-year-old man accused of unloading a hail of bullets from an AK-47 machine gun through the walls, windows and front door of his South Wise Drive home, which ended up killing a 12-year-old boy and wounding the boy's family on Oct. 31, 2008, will be sentenced on a federal weapons charge on Nov. 18, court filings show.

Quentin "Yop" Lamar Patrick, formerly of 215 S. Wise Drive, entered a guilty plea in August on a charge of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and faces 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Police have said Patrick fired at least 29 rounds from his AK-47 on Halloween night in 2008, which killed Tony "T.J." Darrisaw, who was trick-or-treating with his family. T.J.'s younger brother and father were also hit with gunfire but recovered from their injuries, which were not life-threatening.

Patrick has been charged with murder, two counts of assault and battery with intent to kill, and one count each of assault with intent to kill and manufacturing crack cocaine. Police confiscated the AK-47, a loaded 9 mm Ruger handgun found in the bathroom, and a microwave and baking powder they said had traces of cocaine.

John Clark, who is representing Patrick on his state charges, told Third Circuit Court Judge George C. James Jr. during an April bond hearing and arraignment that his client had been shot before during a robbery at his mother's house and reacted out of fear, thinking he was being robbed after seeing masked people outside his home.

Patrick's girlfriend, Ericka Patrice Pee, 20, was charged with obstruction of justice after police said she was caught with $7,500 in her purse while trying to leave the home after the shooting.

In federal court, Patrick is being represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender John Hare.

Third Circuit Solicitor Kelly Jackson said recently that his office is waiting for the federal government to sentence Patrick on the weapons charge before he would move forward with the state's case.

Public records show Patrick was arrested in Sumter in June 2005 and charged with three counts of distribution of ice, crank or crack cocaine, for which he received a three-year prison sentence with credit for time served.



Contact Senior Staff Writer Joe Perry at jperry@theitem.com or (803) 774-1272.