Jamin Davis’ legal troubles aren’t over as judge puts revised plea deal on hold

Washington Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis will reappear in court later this month after a Virginia judge Thursday would not consider a revised plea deal for his reckless driving charge on the basis it wasn’t “substantially and materially different” from an agreement that was rejected earlier in the week. 

Judge James E. Plowman Jr. questioned the efforts of Davis’ legal team and the Commonwealth and suggested that they put their “best foot forward” in advance of the next hearing. Davis’s new date was set for Aug. 31, which falls after the preseason but is before Washington opens the season Sept. 10 against the Arizona Cardinals. 

Davis is appealing a Loudoun County District Court sentence of 30 days behind bars after he was found guilty of driving 114 mph in a 45 mph zone on March 28, 2022,

Attorney Jeffrey Mangeno, Davis’ counsel, presented a revised plea agreement Thursday after a previous judge rejected the original deal. Under the new revision, Mangeno said, the plea required Davis to serve up to a maximum of eight days of active incarceration with a minimum of at least four days, six months of a mandatory suspended license, supervised probation of 12 months, a max $2,500 fine, 114 hours of community service, a four-hour mandatory driving class and an essay on the dangers of reckless driving. 

But Plowman appeared skeptical of the details. He said that “while there are some changes to the agreement,” he didn’t find them to be “substantially and materially different” from the previous version that was rejected  Tuesday. The original deal also called for Davis to serve up to eight days of incarceration, but included no minimum and did not contain the community service provisions. 

“We haven’t had a new discussion to make any new counterproposals,” Mangeno said after the hearing. “ It’s unfortunate the case was not resolved today in its entirety. We will continue to work the matter.”

Plowman also warned Davis’ attorney to be careful of “judge shopping,” a tactic that involves trying to cycle through judges on appeal until finding one that may agree to accept the plea. Because the plea wasn’t technically rejected Thursday, Plowman is still eligible to be the judge for the Aug. 31’s hearing — although there’s no guarantee that will happen. 

Asked by Plowman why the two sides had not entered into a plea agreement prior to the initial conviction, an attorney representing the Commonwealth said the state wasn’t as concerned about the “risk nature” of securing jail time for the incident as it is on appeal. The attorney asked the judge for a bench trial once it became clear the plea wasn’t going to be considered, but Plowman agreed to Mangeno’s request for a new date instead.

Davis, a 2021 first-round pick out of Kentucky, appeared in court with a black, short-sleeve patterned shirt and black pants. He was accompanied by his attorney and Malcolm Blacken, Washington’s senior director of player development. 

On March 28, 2022, officials cited Davis with a Class 1 misdemeanor related to reckless driving on Loudoun County Parkway at Evergreen Ridge Drive at 1 p.m. The misdemeanor can carry a sentence of up to 12 months in jail, and/or a fine of up to $2,500. He was found guilty last September. 

The incident was Davis’ second reckless driving-related offense in a three-month period. On Dec. 19, 2021, Davis was cited for reckless driving after going 89 mph in a 65-mph zone — though the charge was eventually amended to an infraction for going 84 in a 65 upon Davis pleading guilty and agreeing to pay a $150 fine.