Jimmy Joel DeLeon

A member of the 18th street gang will return to prison for four years after violating his probation, a Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge ruled Sept. 24.

Jimmy Joel DeLeon, 24, appeared before Judge James H. Chamblin after violating his probation that stemmed from a June 2009 incident, according to the Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.

In that incident, DeLeon and two co-defendants were arrested for acts committed in asssociation with the 18th street gang.

DeLeon pleaded guilty to felony gang participation, misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor destruction of property in December 2009. He was sentenced on March 22, 2010, to a two years in the Virginia Department of Corrections with an additional four years of suspended time, conditioned upon his good behavior, no contact with known gang members and full payment of restitution while on probation.

Within four months of his release from prison, DeLeon was arrested and ultimately convicted of drunk in public and two counts of assault in Fairfax County and given a 12 month sentence to serve, the commonwealth attorney’s office said.

During the probation violation hearing, DeLeon testified that he committed the two new assaults in “self-defense” despite evidence that he struck another individual in the head with a bottle and his co-defendant discharged a firearm during the incident, the commonwealth attorney’s office said.

Chamblin found DeLeon in violation of his probation and re-imposed the balance of his previously suspended time, totaling four years. DeLeon’s sentence will be served in the Virginia Department of Corrections.

“Our community and our Courts have shown little tolerance for violent gang members,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman said in a prepared statement. “The inability to remain of good behavior while on probation for more than a four month period further justifies the decision made by the court to revoke the balance of his time.”