A Baltimore County judge agreed on Tuesday to let a former Baltimore Police officer convicted of selling cannabis off his home detention three months early.

Cejus Watson, 41, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court in September to one count of distributing a controlled substance. Judge Dennis M. Robinson Jr. sentenced him to three years in prison, suspended the sentence, and ordered him to serve a year on home detention.

Watson received no additional time on his sentence after pleading guilty to theft in November in Baltimore Circuit Court, resolving city charges of theft and misconduct in office stemming from the same 2022 incident.

On Tuesday, Baltimore County Circuit Judge Robert E. Cahill Jr. agreed to a request from Watson’s attorney, Nicholas Comaromi, to end his home detention after nine months and to waive future probation and monitoring fees.

Comaromi said Watson is working 30 hours a week at Reisterstown nonprofit The Cavanagh House, where he upholsters furniture.

“I moved into upholstery because I wanted to expand my creative ability by learning how to rework furniture and design custom pieces,” Watson said on the organization’s website. “I am excited about eventually taking these learned skills and creating my own custom furniture line.”

Comaromi said Watson lost out on two jobs because of home monitoring and that he and his wife separated as a result of his “difficulties” in the criminal justice system.

“He lost his job; he lost his pension,” Comaromi said.

Baltimore County Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel Trimble emphasized that Watson was a Baltimore Police officer at the time of the offense and said prosecutors felt his sentence was “fair and appropriate.”

When Robinson sentenced Watson in September, he said it was especially serious for a member of law enforcement to sell drugs. Robinson said he intended for the sentence to deter those who were “similarly situated” to Watson.

Baltimore Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit suspected Watson was selling marijuana in September 2022, while he was on medical suspension from the department.

Watson told reporters in November that he sold marijuana he had received for free from his private employer, a dispensary where he worked security, to a tattoo shop customer — and police informant — who offered to buy it from him. City and county detectives set up the controlled buy at the shop on Reisterstown Road, prosecutors said, and provided the informant with money for the purchase.

Watson said in November that the sale, which involved about $1,100, was an “isolated incident” that he regrets.