A repeat Medford felon who had created a spectacle representing himself has been sentenced to prison.
David Michael Garrett, 35, was sentenced to prison Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court after juries convicted him on felony charges of supplying contraband and first-degree theft, cases in which he represented himself in two trials. Wearing his orange jail uniform during the Friday sentencing hearing, Garrett frequently interrupted Deputy District Attorney David Orr and Circuit Judge Tim Barnack out of turn.
The two separate felony cases Garrett took to trial in front of 12-person juries included a Feb. 24, 2015, incident in which he was caught stealing more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from Lowe’s and an April 3, 2015, incident in which he was caught hiding marijuana in his rectum while he was stationed at the Jackson County Work Center in Talent.
Garrett had poorly feigned a heart attack, gently falling to the floor during one of his two jury trials Wednesday, according to Orr and Barnack. Orr said Garrett’s mother was in the audience and laughed at his attempt. Within 10 minutes, Garrett showed a marked recovery, Orr said.
Garrett had faced an additional six months in jail for misdemeanor contempt of court because he regularly interrupted Lowe’s witnesses during the theft trial, but Barnack decided against the charge to simplify an already complex sentence that includes the two new convictions and for violating his probation on previous felony theft and identity theft convictions among others. He will serve a total of 40 months in prison, Orr said.
Garrett has been in the probation system since 2000, when he was sentenced to prison in Multnomah County on drug charges. He’s violated his probation approximately 45 times since, according to a report Orr provided.
“He’s pretty much non-stop,” Orr said.
Orr said the district attorney’s office had worked to prosecute Garrett for more than a year. Hearings were postponed and plea offers were rejected on grounds that Garrett had clashed with his court-appointed defense attorneys. Court records show he’d clashed with with multiple lawyers before he ultimately represented himself.
“I think he felt that if he kept gaming the system we’d just give up,” Orr said. “In this case it didn’t pay off for him.”
In an attempt to show Garrett the direction his behavior is taking him, Barnack told Garrett when he gets to prison to watch for older inmates who are “tired.”
“You think it’s too late?” Garrett asked.
“For you, I don’t think you’re done yet,” Barnack said. “You’re not tired yet.”
