Woman fined for bringing marijuana to Waukesha court proceeding

Published on: 6/27/2016

Shakendra Thomas came to Waukesha County Circuit Court in February with an important responsibility: to testify on behalf of the state in Darrin Malone's murder trial, which was linked to a local gas station homicide.

What she left with, more than four months later, was an $800 fine.

That's because Thomas, 22, was arrested on an open warrant shortly after she left the witness stand Feb. 15 and was carrying marijuana. She pleaded guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge of possession of THC earlier this month, according to online court records.

On June 20, Judge Lee Dreyfus ordered Thomas to pay an $804.05 fine as punishment for the offense. Court records indicate Thomas has until Dec. 15 to come up with the money or provide the court with proof that she has completed 50 hours of community service.

If she doesn't pay or complete the work, she'll have to spend 20 days in jail with work-release privileges, Dreyfus ruled.

Dreyfus also ordered Thomas to submit a DNA sample to the state database and she will be charged $200 to do so, records show. That means she owes the court a grand total of $1,004.05.

A criminal complaint said Thomas was stopped while trying to leave the courthouse after testifying in Malone's trial because of an open warrant for $1,991 through the Town of Brookfield Police Department.

A deputy told her about the warrant and asked if she could pay it, but Thomas reportedly told him she didn't have any money.

When the deputy smelled marijuana on her, he arrested her, the complaint said.

Thomas denied having any marijuana on her, but correctional staff at the Waukesha County Jail found the drug on her during a routine search and a booking procedure.

Thomas was called to testify at Malone's hearing because she is the sister of Kenneth Thomas, who along with Malone and Jerica Cotton was charged in the armed robbery at a local Citgo gas station that resulted in the death of 65-year-old Saeed Sharwani last January.

All three were ultimately convicted for their various roles in the killing and sentenced to prison.