An Atlantic City on probation with more crimes pending was held in jail Thursday on gun and drug charges.
"He was given the opportunity to follow the rules of society, and he didn't do it," Superior Court Judge Patricia Wild said before ordering him detained on his latest charges.
Watson was arrested last month, after a ShotSpotter audio gunshot-detection alert brought police to South Carolina and Adriatic avenues. No one was reported struck.
Watson was spotted walking with two other men, including the believed shooter, 22-year-old Hamid Palmer.
But that wasn't Watson's first arrest since he was given probation less than a year ago.
He already had eight pending charges before the gun arrest, according to information given in court. The pending charges include drug possession and distribution and aggravated assault. He was released on summonses for all of them, which seemed to perplex both the judge and Assistant Prosecutor Gina DeAnnuntis.
"Drugs are a scourge in our society," Wild said. "The possession and use of handguns is also a problem in our community. The defendant was on probation, out on a summons and continued escalating behavior."
Now Watson will remain jailed on the latest charges.
Defense attorney Joe Swift told the judge that his client had been close to getting work through One Stop in Pleasantville. He said they had him up for a job as a substitute teacher's aid. He did not say where.
Hearing that Watson could have been working with children, Wild interrupted: "You've got to be kidding me."
The Atlantic County Justice Facility does not release mugshots due to a ban by the former county prosecutor.
