ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A former Orange County doctor was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison Friday.
In 2004, WFTV reported when David Mackey pleaded no contest to trying to hire a hit-man. He received nine years community supervision, but a judge Friday said that probation wasn't working for Mackey.
Mackey apologized on the stand Friday. He apologized to his family for the actions that lead to his probation violation. But this time around, there was no probation modification for David Mackey; he's headed to the Department Of Corrections.
Mackey has been in jail since March 2010 and, late Friday afternoon, the former Winter Park surgeon told an Orange County court he was sorry for the probation violation that put him there.
"I couldn't be any sorrier for what I've caused my family and everybody I know," he said.
Mackey admitted to knocking two washers off a PVC pipe in an Indian River citrus grove where he was working in 2008. The washers were placed there by the St. Johns River Water Management District to battle citrus canker, an effort Mackey saw as useless. He tossed the washers in the trunk of his car and was charged with petty theft. His probation officer only discovered the charge this year.
"It was a dumb, senseless, stupid thing," he said.
In 2004, he pleaded no contest to trying to hire a hit-man to kill a former business partner. He was misled into believing his associate meant him harm. Mackey was caught on tape.
Prosecutors didn't push for jail time. Instead, Mackey received nine years community supervision; it hasn't gone smoothly. There were two violations of community control and now the Indian River probation violation.
Prosecutors argued Friday, Mackey was all out of chances and the court agreed.
"I'm going to sentence you to eight and a half years in the Department of Corrections," the judge said.
Mackey's attorney told WFTV Friday after court his client should serve five and a half of the eight and a half year sentence, with credit for time-served. Mackey's attorney will be asking for a furlough during that time period so Mackey can undergo surgery for skin cancer.
WFTV
