Weiss, who earned $18 an hour at an aircraft parts company in Middle River, managed to finish 943 hours.
Prosecutors charged him with violating his probation and, on Oct. 5, Baltimore Circuit Judge Lynn K. Stewart sent Weiss back to prison for two more years.
His attorney argued that Weiss did indeed work the other 57 hours, but prosecutors noted that it was completed only after his probation term had ended on April 10.
"The fact is that two people were killed, and the only thing the defendant had to do was complete 1,000 hours of community service - 200 hours a year for the five years he was on probation. It's not an unreasonable request," said Assistant State's Attorney Nancy J. Olin.
Earlier in her career, Olin had worked with Platt while prosecuting drug cases, and he was a friend.
"There are no words," Olin added, trying to describe the sergeant. "He was a special man. 'Unfortunate' is an understatement."
The head of Baltimore's police union, Robert F. Cherry, chafed at any suggestion that Weiss was returned to prison on a mere technicality. "As a homicide detective, I saw a lot of people get out on technicalities, return to the street and torture this city," he said.
Weiss' family could not be reached for comment, and his attorney, Alfred D. Brennen, declined to comment, telling me it's his policy to not talk with the media.
The court file provides some new information on Weiss, who was 25 at the time of the crash. He had just gotten his license after a string of convictions for drugs and destruction of property, and was trying to deal with personal problems that included alcohol abuse.
According to a detailed report compiled by the public defender's office for his probation hearing, Weiss grew up in Middle River, shuttling between divorced parents, and started drinking alcohol when he was 14. He dropped out of Lake Clifton High School at 15. At the time of the crash, he was working as a drywall installer for a company in Sparks and was in line for a promotion.
In prison, Weiss drew pictures and designed T-shirts with inspirational messages that other inmates wore. One shirt had a man looking to the sky, with words beneath: "There is light in all of us. Let yours shine as bright as the stars above."
One social worker wrote: "Shane verbalizes much anguish about the accident victims' families. He stated that he wished he was killed instead of them."
