Miss. judge says teen’s possession charge will be dismissed if she retakes ACT, gets into community college

GRENADA, Miss. (WLBT) - A Mississippi judge says he will dismiss a teen girl’s possession charge if she retakes the ACT and gets into community college.

Judge Carlos Moore of Grenada made the statement in a Facebook post.

He said that an 18-year-old girl appeared before him in court where she was facing a possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle charge. It was her first offense.

Moore said she finished high school and now works at a local grocery store. The teen told the judge that she wants to be an engineer, but did not score high enough on the ACT to get into community college.

Moore said he then offered the girl a chance to be in his DO Better ASAP (Alternative Sentencing Accountability Program).

To do this, she has to retake the ACT and get admitted to a community college before August 16. If she does it, her charge will be dismissed.

“She will have a clean record and hopefully go on to do great things,” the judge wrote. “Let’s hope she takes full advantage of this second chance.”

Moore said that the teen’s mother had to encourage her, because, at one point, she asked how much the fine would be.

“She listened to her mother and agreed to DO Better ASAP,” he concluded, before adding the hashtag #SecondChancesMatter.

Judge Carlos Moore is the Managing Partner of The Cochran Firm and the National Bar Association President.

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