The Case Of Tamar Christopher Sweat

On April 6, 2016, Tamar Christopher Sweat appeared before the Honorable Judge Joel P. Crowe of the Portsmouth Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for charges of underage possession of a firearm, reckless handling of a firearm and possession of stolen property. Tamar was accompanied by his legal guardian and grandmother, Gail Sweat. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kara Cooper prosecuted the case, and Tamar was represented by Deputy Public Defender Bernadine Gerlach. A plea agreement between the prosecution and defense was submitted, and the court accepted the agreement. A finding was taken under advisement for a period of two years, and Tamar was placed on supervised probation. If, after the first year, Tamar’s behavior is good, he can be placed on unsupervised probation. He was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service work, have no gang affiliation, have no school disciplines and follow all rules of the home. The matter was continued to April 7, 2017.

His great grandmother, Patsey Sweat, also resides in the home. There are two brothers and a sister in the home as well. The family resides in a single family home in the Churchland section of the city. Tamar and his grandmother have a “good relationship” and there are no reported issues between them. Ms. Sweat characterized Tamar as being cooperative and compliant for the most part. She reported Tamar generally listens and there is no problem in this area. She also reported Tamar is generally responsible to perform household chores and responsibilities without prompting. There have been no reports of Child Protective Services complaints or foster care placements involving family