An Atlantic City man will stay in jail after he was arrested on drug charges while released pending sentencing in a gun and assault case.
Kareem Watson, 23, pleaded guilty Nov. 28, under an agreement calling for a five-year sentence with 3½ years of parole ineligibility.
The state objected to his release pending sentencing, but it was granted anyway, Judge Patricia Wild pointed out at his detention hearing on the new charges Thursday.
He was arrested Dec. 30, after Atlantic City police linked a bag filled with drugs found in a convenience store.
Video surveillance showed Watson entering the store with the bag, according to the charges.
"It appears that Mr. Watson engages in this as a course of doing business," Assistant Prosecutor Joseph More said of the alleged drug distribution. "This apparently seems to be the way he earns his living."
In arguing for Watson's release, defense attorney Joe Swift pointed out that Watson turned himself in this week, after he was accidentally released from jail Monday.
"It's kind of like winning the lottery, your honor, and then after you're celebrating, then the state calls you up and says, 'Sorry, we gave you the wrong ticket. Now, you've got to turn the money in,'" Swift said.
"You know what I would say?" the judge interjected. "He won the lottery when he got this sentence back in November, frankly. That's a very good sentence given the charges against him at the time."
It's not the first time Watson was arrested while on release.
He was on probation for a burglary charge related to the 2020 Atlantic City riots when he was arrested April 16, 2022, with loaded handgun and 40 bags of heroin.
Wild was the judge at the detention hearing in the 2022 case, and ordered him held.
Watson pleaded guilty Nov. 28, and was released.
The judge pointed out that it was only about a month later that he was allegedly back to dealing drugs.
Watson now will remain jailed. His release on the gun charge was also revoked.
