Jacob Lavoro in court.
May 20, 2014
A Texas teen faces life in prison after he allegedly mixed in some hash oil along with marijuana in a batch of pot brownies.
Jacob Lavoro, 19, faces a felony charge and five year to life in prison as punishment after cops in Round Rock busted him last month with a pound of weed, 1.5 pounds of the laced baked goods, digital scales, some $1,675 in cash and baggies of marijuana and 145 grams of hash oil.
Because he used hash oil in the brownies, prosecutors can aggregate the total weight of the treats in the charge. And hash oil is prosecuted more harshly because it has a higher THC content the normal, leafy pot.
"It's outrageous, it's crazy! I don't understand it,” the teen’s father, Joe Lavoro, told KEYE-TV after a recent court appearance. "Five years to life? I'm sorry, I'm a law abiding citizen. I'm a conservative. I love my country. I'm a Vietnam veteran, but I'll be damned ... this is wrong, this is damn wrong!"
The drug - in any form - is legal, of course, for recreational use by adults in Colorado. But strict laws in Texas could make Lavoro, who has a clean record, a felon.
"I was outraged,” the teen’s attorney, Jack Holmes, told the news station.“I've been doing this 22 years as a lawyer and I've got 10 years as a police officer and I've never seen anything like this before."
The county prosecutor told the Associated Press that other factors, like someones prior record, can affect how a case is prosecuted and a plea deal is always possible
Records show Lavoro bonded out of jail earlier this month after three weeks locked up. He’s next due in court June 19.
"If he did something wrong he should be punished but to the extent that makes sense,” Joe Lavoro told KEYE. “This is illogical. I'm really upset, and I'm frightened, I'm frightened for my son."