Thursday, when asked about his role in preventing an Atlanta man from jumping from a 22-story building, T.I., said “I don’t expect this to have any different impact on any of my circumstances.” It’s not clear if he was correct or not, as U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. ordered him to return to prison for 11 months for violating the terms of his probation. TMZ reports one of the officers from Wednesday’s suicide attempt testified on T.I.’s behalf.
After his September 1 arrest in California, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, was charged of committing three violations of his supervised prison release: testing positive for opiates, possessing ecstasy, and associating with a convicted felon. A probation officer originally recommended 14 months of prison time for the Grammy award winning rapper, but lawyers for T.I. contended that such sentencing guidelines were for violent career criminals. The aforementioned argument was made on the basis that Tip’s prior conviction for assaulting a Florida police detective does not qualify as a violent felony.
T.I. is expected to appeal the case and remain free on bond until he is either sentenced or the charges overturned through the appeal process.
