Streamer Jack Doherty is facing three criminal charges after being arrested in Miami over the weekend during a livestream that escalated into a tense encounter with police.
According to the arrest affidavit, officers found “half of an orange-oval-shaped pill with a 3 on it,” which they said was consistent with amphetamine. Police also recovered three hand-rolled suspected cannabis cigarettes. Authorities said Doherty refused to follow commands, describing his attitude as “nonchalant” and uncooperative during the search.
What police say they found during the search
The discovery of the pill led to a charge of possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony under Florida law. The three cannabis cigarettes added a misdemeanor charge for possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana. His behavior during the encounter resulted in a third charge: resisting an officer without violence.
Jack Doherty. Credit: Miami Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Together, the charges could theoretically put the young streamer on the hook for up to seven years in prison if maximum penalties were applied.
How serious are the charges?
Florida statutes allow up to five years in prison for a third-degree felony and up to one year for each first-degree misdemeanor. But the real-world likelihood of Doherty receiving the maximum sentence is extremely low.
A Measures for Justice report examining nonviolent felony cases in Miami-Dade County from 2012 to 2013 found that defendants with no recent in-state convictions received a median prison sentence of 24 months. Even more significant: fewer than 8.5 per cent of people in that group received any prison time at all, despite a conviction rate of more than 58 per cent.
That data suggests Doherty’s exposure to long-term incarceration is dramatically lower than the statutory maximums might imply, especially if this is treated as a minor first-time offense.
Doherty had an unofficial wedding to McKinley Richardson, 22, last November. Credit: JackDoherty / YouTube.
What happens next for the streamer?
Despite the arrest and the online discussion surrounding it, Doherty has already returned to live-streaming. He briefly acknowledged the incident to his audience but continued broadcasting as usual.
Now his case moves into the court system, where prosecutors will determine how aggressively to pursue the charges and whether a plea deal is likely. For now, Doherty appears intent on continuing his content grind even as the legal fallout looms over him.