Ira C. Cooke, one of Maryland's most influential lobbyists, pleaded guilty yesterday in District Court to violation of probation and will spend a weekend in jail.
Mr. Cooke, 48, also admitted that police had enough evidence to convict him of a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge and entered an Alford plea.
Judge Joseph P. Manck sentenced him to 90 days in jail on both charges and suspended all but one weekend, which he is to serve this Friday through Sunday. Mr. Cooke also was given two years of supervised probation and is required to continue therapy with his psychiatrist.
Mr. Cooke told Judge Manck that he was "extremely remorseful," but did not believe that he was a criminal. He said he was terrified the night he was arrested and prayed to God for help. "My problem was that I didn't know when the party was over," he said. "I would drink until the bars closed and then I would get home and not be able to sleep."
He said the incident has hurt his family, including his 80-year-old mother who did not know of his problem and received in the mail copies of all the newspaper stories about him.
Mr. Cooke's lawyer, Bill Pitcher, said his client was satisfied that the judge gave him a fair hearing.
State's Attorney Laura Kaufman said the sentence was typical for the crime. It was unclear yesterday whether Mr. Cooke will be allowed to continue to practice law.
"For now, yes he can," Mr. Pitcher said. "I assume that the Attorney Grievance Commission will review this case and investigate."
When Annapolis City police found 1.9 grams of marijuana in Mr. Cooke's rented home on Cornhill Street March 31, it was his second drug arrest in less than a year. In April 1993, police found 13 grams of marijuana in his sixth-floor suite of rooms he leased at Loews Annapolis Hotel. In August 1993, he was granted probation before judgment, fined $300 and sentenced to 12 months' probation.
If he had completed probation without another violation, the first offense would have been stricken from his record.
During yesterday's hearing, Dr. John Lyon, a psychiatrist who has been treating Mr. Cooke, said his patient has been suffering from major depression, alcoholism and marijuana abuse. "He told me that he drank a lot and often," Dr. Lyon testified. "The alcohol he used daily and the marijuana at night. That was his pattern of use."
Dr. Lyon said that had Mr. Cooke been treated for depression after his first arrest, he would not have used drugs again. He said Mr. Cooke has been attending therapy sessions and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and is taking anti-depressants. The prognosis is good, he told the judge.
Larry Vincent, director of the Lawyer's Counseling Committee that is affiliated with the state bar association, testified that Mr. Cooke's alcoholism impaired his judgment.
"It made him think that a half a marijuana cigarette a night would not hurt him," he said.