A habitual felon convicted in Sampson a quarter century ago has had his case denied for parole.

Jan Brunson Jr., 60, known by the alias “Dopretty,” was convicted Oct. 6, 1994 in Sampson County Superior Court on charges of being a habitual felon and breaking and entering into vehicles, receiving a life sentence as a result. He is currently being held at Wake County Correctional, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

The N.C. Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission issued a notification Thursday that it had suspended its investigation into Brunson’s case and denied it for parole via the Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP).

MAPP is a scholastic and vocational program that is a three-way agreement between the commission, the Division of Prisons and the offender. The notice from the commission was sent to various outlets and interested parties in order for the independent four-member body to comply with North Carolina General Statute.

The commission does not hold formal hearings and does not meet personally with offenders when reviewing cases for possible parole. Each case is reviewed on an individual basis since each has its own characteristics, according to the state.

The state’s current sentencing law, Structured Sentencing, eliminates parole for crimes committed on or after Oct. 1, 1994. However, the commission has the responsibility of paroling offenders who were sentenced under previous sentencing guidelines.

Despite Brunson’s conviction date falling just days past the cutoff for Structured Sentencing, the charges of habitual felon and breaking and entering into vehicles were stemmed from an offense a month before the cutoff, on Sept. 6, 1994.

Prior to his 1994 conviction, Brunson had a slew of other convictions between 1977-1988 in both Sampson and Duplin counties, court records show.

They included conversion by bailee, selling a Schedule VI controlled substance, possession of firearm by felon, driving while impaired, larceny of firearms, assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence, possession of Schedule VI controlled substance and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.

Brunson was in and out of prison during that 11-year stretch in the 1970s and 80s, the longest being a nearly three-year stint for the felony assault conviction, handed down in 1977 in Sampson County.

The four members of the N.C. Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission are appointed by the governor, who also selects one commissioner to serve as chairman. The majority of the commission must agree to deny or approve parole for all eligible offenders.

According to the state, when an offender becomes eligible for parole, all available information on their case is reviewed to determine if they should be denied parole or investigated for parole. Some of the factors considered by the commission include the nature and circumstances of the crime, the previous criminal record, prison conduct, prison program participation, input from court officials, victims and other interested parties.

An offender must be reviewed at least once per year, except in murder cases, after becoming eligible for parole.

Brunson’s case is scheduled to be considered for parole again next year.

Brunson
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_brunson.jpgBrunson
Brunson sentenced in Sampson in 1994

By Chris Berendt

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Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.