The Arkansas Court of Appeals said Wednesday Judge Jodi Raines Dennis was correct when she revoked the probation of a Pine Bluff man who had been charged with drug related offenses.
Dontel Spraglin, 46, claimed Dennis erred when she denied him the right to question a confidential informant who testified about a drug buy Spraglin made from the informant.
According to the appeal, Spraglin was placed on probation in 2020 after admitting to possession of methamphetamine. Prosecutors subsequently filed two petitions to revoke that probation alleging violations of the probation including multiple positive drug test results over a five-month period, committing new drug related offenses, and being delinquent in his court ordered payments.
At a revocation hearing, a Pine Bluff narcotics detective testified about a drug buy between Spraglin and the undercover informant in August 2020. Spraglin’s attorney objected because that informant was not present to testify but the objection was overruled.
There was also testimony that during a search of Spraglin’s residence, police found synthetic marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy pills, regular marijuana and a loaded handgun. Spraglin generally denied knowledge of the drugs and gun but admitted during testimony that if he had been drug tested that day, he would have testified positive for marijuana.
The Appeals court said Spraglin tested positive multiple times for drug use and clearly admitted that he would have tested positive for marijuana that day so Dennis was correct in revoking his probation.
Spraglin is serving a six-year sentence at the Delta Regional Unit and will be eligible to apply for parole in October.
