Judge revokes James Ross’s probation after missed reporting, positive drug tests; sentences him to four years

Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court granted the State’s motion to revoke James Ross Jr.’s probation and sentenced him to four years in prison, the court announced after hearings and testimony on probation compliance.

The decision followed testimony by adult probation officer Tamia Dixon, who said she supervised Ross and that his last in-person office visit was April 25, 2025. "The last office visit was April 25," Dixon testified. She told the court she had no recorded contact with Ross between that April visit and June 9, 2025, and that Ross’s required monthly in-person reporting was not satisfied by telephone calls.

Dixon said Ross had a positive urinalysis on May 1, 2025 for amphetamines and cocaine and that she had not received documentation showing completion of a court-ordered parenting course or the 200 hours of community service the defendant was assessed. "Once I spoke with the detective and he verified that the warrant was active, I instructed him to turn himself in and handle the warrant to clear it," Dixon said of her June instructions to Ross.

Ross testified in his own defense that he contacted probation on June 1 about an incident and later emailed a Cash App receipt and paid $34 toward his financial obligations on June 16, 2025. He told the court he had attended Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings while on supervision and said he sought to stay current on fees and testing. "I called my probation officer and said, hey... I wanted to make record with you," Ross testified.

Prosecutors urged revocation, arguing Ross evidenced no sustained effort to comply with probation conditions and failed to meet with his probation officer in person as required. The defense argued some contacts were informal and not always documented but maintained Ross made attempts to comply, including appearing for tests and making a payment.

After hearing argument, the court found the specified violations true, granted the state’s motion to revoke, and imposed a four-year sentence with credit for time served. The court ordered a $2,000 fine, prohibited residing in households with minors and any unsupervised contact with minors, and ordered no contact with Mark Daniel Lewis. The court also noted the matter of a related pending aggravated-robbery case and set future proceedings for that charge.

The court’s ruling and sentence reflect findings tied to probation reporting requirements and documented drug-test results rather than informal or undocumented contacts.