Since his release from prison several years ago, Dowagiac resident Jack Blackamore has tried his hardest to avoid falling back into the life of crime and drug abuse that led to his lengthy incarceration.

Earning himself a factory position with Postle Extrusion in Cassopolis, Blackamore said he works 70 hours a week in order to keep himself busy and out of trouble.

“I’ve been trying, I’ve been really trying,” he said, breaking down in tears.

Unfortunately, a single relapse during a party with his girlfriend landed him once again in a Cass

County courtroom.

Judge Michael Dodge sentenced Blackamore, 38, to 90 days in jail Friday, on the charge of possession of marijuana. The Dowagiac man pleaded guilty to the offense in an earlier appearance in court on Oct. 22.

The charge stems from Blackamore’s arrest on Sept. 25. While hanging out with his girlfriend at a residence on Division Street, detectives with the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team and parole officers with the Michigan Department of Corrections arrived to conduct a routine search of the house, where a parolee was residing.

“You were caught smoking marijuana,” Dodge said. “The report said that you were cooperative with the officers. You turned over a partially smoked marijuana joint, and they seized some other marijuana they found there at the scene. You consented to the search of the room where that marijuana was located.”

Both the judge and Chief Assistant Prosecutor Frank Machnik mentioned the man’s extensive prior criminal record, which consists of 11 felony and six misdemeanor convictions.

“Many of those are for drugs, and his rationale for all of these offenses is that he simply wants to get high,” Machnik said. “He doesn’t respect the law, and he doesn’t think it applies to him.”

Blackamore’s record since his release from prison in October of 2012 had been spotless until his arrest in September, Dodge said. He had been working for Postle since March of 2013, after having been unemployed for more than a decade.

“You’ve done what we would hope someone would do in terms of trying to rehabilitate themselves after a pretty significant criminal record and experiencing a lengthy prison sentence,” Dodge said.

In light of these facts, Dodge decided to suspend the man’s jail sentence for six months. If he pays off his court assessment fees within that period, the judge said he would lift the incarceration period indefinitely.

“You have led an otherwise stable, law abiding life since your release, and I agree with you, I don’t want to see that all fall apart,” Dodge said.

Also sentenced Friday:

• James Willis, 54, of Cassopolis, to two years in prison for third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

• Julie Kay Baldwin, 45, of Constantine, to 90 days in jail and two years of probation for possession of methamphetamine and operating while impaired.