He was on probation after
serving 10 months behind bars on federal weapons charges. "I think Mr.
Harris had had about the limit of second chances," US District Court Judge
Charles Pannell Jr. said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. During
the hearing, T.I. begged Pannell not to send him back to prison, saying he
needed to get help for drug addiction. He told the judge he "screwed
up" and pleaded for mercy.
"I want drugs out of my life. If I can get
the treatment and counseling I need... I can beat this," T.I. told the
judge, according to US attorney spokesman Patrick Crosby. "I need help.
For me, my mother, my kids, I need the court to give me mercy." Pannell
wasn't swayed by the rapper's plea. The judge said T.I.'s sentence was an
"experiment" he hoped to replicate if it worked.
The rapper was
allowed to stay out of prison while performing 1,000 hours of community
service, mostly talking with schoolchildren about the dangers of gangs, drugs
and violence.
