Three arrested in drug investigation
By Miranda Del Pozo
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 4:41 p.m.
Three people are arrested following a four year drug investigation.
Drug agents also seized thousands in cash, weapons and meth. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office says Susan White, Carl Blaine and David Lee were arrested yesterday. During the arrest, agents found $10,000 cash, 1 1/2 ounces of crystal meth valued at $7,000, a 2000 Dodge Ram van and 15 weapons ranging from rifles to pistols. Police say shortly after the arrest of David Lee, they searched his home at 134 Drayton Lane in Vienna and found 15 different types of guns valued at $7,000, ammo and crystal meth and marijuana valued at $4,500.
The Dooly County Sheriff's Office, Americus Police Department, Lee County Sheriff's Office, GBI and DEA helped with the investigation.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Disparity in sentencing
Tucson woman given 6 years for role in drug-related killing
Story By Kim Smith Arizona Daily Star
Friday, March 26, 2010 8:59 am
Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini sentenced a 36-year-old Tucson woman to six years in prison Friday for her role in the July shooting death of a suspected drug dealer.
Eva Macias, 36, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in Rosendo Ortega's death in January and had been facing between four and eight years in prison.
Ortega, 20, died after Macias and her sister, Alma Trinidad Huizar, 25, decided to rob Ortega of his drugs, things went awry and he was shot to death by Michael Haro.
Macias told Ortega's family she prays every night for God to give them comfort and she hopes they'll be able to forgive her someday.
Earlier this week, Haro, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case. Angelica Leon was placed on four years probation for conspiracy to commit robbery. Huizar is serving six years for negligent homicide and Ahbram Avalos, who gave Ortega the drugs, is serving five years on a drug charge.
Story By Kim Smith Arizona Daily Star
Friday, March 26, 2010 8:59 am
Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini sentenced a 36-year-old Tucson woman to six years in prison Friday for her role in the July shooting death of a suspected drug dealer.
Eva Macias, 36, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in Rosendo Ortega's death in January and had been facing between four and eight years in prison.
Ortega, 20, died after Macias and her sister, Alma Trinidad Huizar, 25, decided to rob Ortega of his drugs, things went awry and he was shot to death by Michael Haro.
Macias told Ortega's family she prays every night for God to give them comfort and she hopes they'll be able to forgive her someday.
Earlier this week, Haro, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case. Angelica Leon was placed on four years probation for conspiracy to commit robbery. Huizar is serving six years for negligent homicide and Ahbram Avalos, who gave Ortega the drugs, is serving five years on a drug charge.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Texas man gets 35 years for 4.6 oz of marijuana
Tyler Man Gets 35 Years For Drug Possession
By DAYNA WORCHEL
Staff Writer Tyler Morning Telegraph
Friday March 05, 2010
A Smith County jury found a Tyler man guilty on Thursday of possession of less than five pounds but more than four ounces of marijuana in a drug-free zone.
The jury in the 7th District Court with Judge Kerry Russell presiding then sentenced Henry Walter Wooten, 54, to 35 years confinement in prison. He was not assessed a fine.
Wooten, who had pleaded not guilty to the current charge, had been found guilty of two felonies in Smith County, one in 1987 and one in 1989. He pleaded true to both of those on Thursday before he was sentenced. His 35-year sentence will run consecutively to any other sentences that may be unexpired from his prior felonies, Judge Russell said in court.
The defendant had been accused of possessing marijuana within 1,000 feet of the Ebenezer Day Care Center in Tyler in October 2008.
Tyler police officers were alerted to Wooten's location because of the smell of the marijuana. Tapes played in court showed Wooten removing a number of individual plastic bags loaded with the drug from his pockets. Officers also found a larger bag of marijuana in Wooten's car the same day.
Wooten, who had remained incarcerated since he was arrested for the offense in 2008, had decided he wanted a private laboratory in Tyler to test the marijuana he was accused of possessing when he was arrested. Smith County Assistant District Attorney Richard Vance said Wooten did have a right to ask for such testing.
Both the results from the tests conducted by T.H.E. Lab in Tyler in January, and the tests conducted by the Department of Public Safety Laboratory soon after Wooten's arrest were very similar in results.
Trey Cloud, DPS forensic chemist, testified that the weight of the marijuana seized from Wooten when he was arrested was 4.6 ounces, and the packaging alone weighed 1.06 ounces. He also testified that the drug seized from Wooten was indeed marijuana.
Tom Thompson, from the private laboratory, who testified on Wednesday, said his analysis showed the packaging alone weighed 1.059 ounces.
Cloud testified that the weight of the marijuana, which was analyzed closer to the time of the offense, in this case, in December 2008, was more accurate. The testing done by the private lab was performed on Jan. 29, 2010.
In his closing arguments to the jury, Vance told them they set the standard for the community.
"Every decision made by a jury sets a precedent," he said.
He appealed to the jury to use their common sense and to look at the evidence.
"Wooten pulled bag after bag from his pockets like one of those clowns you see -- and in the driver's seat of his car was a big bag and digital scales," Vance said.
Defense attorney O.W. Lloyd told the jury in his closing arguments he was not there to yell at them and put the pressure on them about precedents. "You don't have to be a chemist -- you believe what you believe."
Vance had asked for the jury to give Wooten a sentence of 99 years. Leslie McLean served as co-counsel with Vance.
By DAYNA WORCHEL
Staff Writer Tyler Morning Telegraph
Friday March 05, 2010
A Smith County jury found a Tyler man guilty on Thursday of possession of less than five pounds but more than four ounces of marijuana in a drug-free zone.
The jury in the 7th District Court with Judge Kerry Russell presiding then sentenced Henry Walter Wooten, 54, to 35 years confinement in prison. He was not assessed a fine.
Wooten, who had pleaded not guilty to the current charge, had been found guilty of two felonies in Smith County, one in 1987 and one in 1989. He pleaded true to both of those on Thursday before he was sentenced. His 35-year sentence will run consecutively to any other sentences that may be unexpired from his prior felonies, Judge Russell said in court.
The defendant had been accused of possessing marijuana within 1,000 feet of the Ebenezer Day Care Center in Tyler in October 2008.
Tyler police officers were alerted to Wooten's location because of the smell of the marijuana. Tapes played in court showed Wooten removing a number of individual plastic bags loaded with the drug from his pockets. Officers also found a larger bag of marijuana in Wooten's car the same day.
Wooten, who had remained incarcerated since he was arrested for the offense in 2008, had decided he wanted a private laboratory in Tyler to test the marijuana he was accused of possessing when he was arrested. Smith County Assistant District Attorney Richard Vance said Wooten did have a right to ask for such testing.
Both the results from the tests conducted by T.H.E. Lab in Tyler in January, and the tests conducted by the Department of Public Safety Laboratory soon after Wooten's arrest were very similar in results.
Trey Cloud, DPS forensic chemist, testified that the weight of the marijuana seized from Wooten when he was arrested was 4.6 ounces, and the packaging alone weighed 1.06 ounces. He also testified that the drug seized from Wooten was indeed marijuana.
Tom Thompson, from the private laboratory, who testified on Wednesday, said his analysis showed the packaging alone weighed 1.059 ounces.
Cloud testified that the weight of the marijuana, which was analyzed closer to the time of the offense, in this case, in December 2008, was more accurate. The testing done by the private lab was performed on Jan. 29, 2010.
In his closing arguments to the jury, Vance told them they set the standard for the community.
"Every decision made by a jury sets a precedent," he said.
He appealed to the jury to use their common sense and to look at the evidence.
"Wooten pulled bag after bag from his pockets like one of those clowns you see -- and in the driver's seat of his car was a big bag and digital scales," Vance said.
Defense attorney O.W. Lloyd told the jury in his closing arguments he was not there to yell at them and put the pressure on them about precedents. "You don't have to be a chemist -- you believe what you believe."
Vance had asked for the jury to give Wooten a sentence of 99 years. Leslie McLean served as co-counsel with Vance.
Accomplice In torture case gets 2 years probation
Accomplice in Tucson torture case gets probation
Mar. 8, 2010 02:56 PM
Associated Press
TUCSON - One of four people accused of torturing a Tucson man for hours has been sentenced to two years of probation.
Larry Bruce Hammond pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and agreed to testify against former beauty queen Kumari Fulbright, whom he said he helped hold a former boyfriend captive for eight to 10 hours in December 2007.
Court documents say that Hammond, Fulbright and two other men pointed pistols at the man, threatened his life, and stole his wallet, cell phone, briefcase, and $500 to $600.
The documents also say Fulbright bit her ex-boyfriend several times while he was tied up and that she stuck a butcher knife in his ear. He escaped after a struggle.
Fulbright pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Mar. 8, 2010 02:56 PM
Associated Press
TUCSON - One of four people accused of torturing a Tucson man for hours has been sentenced to two years of probation.
Larry Bruce Hammond pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and agreed to testify against former beauty queen Kumari Fulbright, whom he said he helped hold a former boyfriend captive for eight to 10 hours in December 2007.
Court documents say that Hammond, Fulbright and two other men pointed pistols at the man, threatened his life, and stole his wallet, cell phone, briefcase, and $500 to $600.
The documents also say Fulbright bit her ex-boyfriend several times while he was tied up and that she stuck a butcher knife in his ear. He escaped after a struggle.
Fulbright pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Teacher in prison for meth distribution
Former Big Island Teacher In Prison For Meth Distribution
Daryl Huff KITV 4 News Reporter
POSTED: 1:59 pm HST March 2, 2010
HILO -- Lynn Dionise, a former special education teachers, was scheduled for sentencing on state drug charges Tuesday, but she couldn't make it. Dionese, 52, is serving time in federal prison on the Mainland in another drug case.
Attorneys say the state and federal drug cases were not directly related, although both were prosecuted at the same time.
Hawaii County Police raided Dionise's condominium in Keaukaha in Apri 2008 and where they found about 7 grams of crystal methamphetamine and about $13,000 in cash in a safe. She was charged in state court with drug distribution and later pleaded guilty to promoting dangerous drugs in the second degree, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Meanwhile, she was also being investigated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration after being heard on a wire tap working with a dealer named Jorge Alberto Leal. Dionise was indicted nearly 8 months after her arrest in the state case, but the courts proceded much more quickly. After pleading guilty, Dionese was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison. While out on bail, Dionice struggled with her drug addiction and was forced to face the judge several times for violating her bail conditions.
Dionise's attorney says she chose to surrender to federal prison, so that the state court would have the option of sentencing her to serve her state time along with the federal sentence, rather than serving one sentence after the other.
Now, in order to be sentenced in the state case, prosecutors will have to use a writ to have her released from federal custody and transported to the Big Island, a process that can take several months.
Daryl Huff KITV 4 News Reporter
POSTED: 1:59 pm HST March 2, 2010
HILO -- Lynn Dionise, a former special education teachers, was scheduled for sentencing on state drug charges Tuesday, but she couldn't make it. Dionese, 52, is serving time in federal prison on the Mainland in another drug case.
Attorneys say the state and federal drug cases were not directly related, although both were prosecuted at the same time.
Hawaii County Police raided Dionise's condominium in Keaukaha in Apri 2008 and where they found about 7 grams of crystal methamphetamine and about $13,000 in cash in a safe. She was charged in state court with drug distribution and later pleaded guilty to promoting dangerous drugs in the second degree, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Meanwhile, she was also being investigated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration after being heard on a wire tap working with a dealer named Jorge Alberto Leal. Dionise was indicted nearly 8 months after her arrest in the state case, but the courts proceded much more quickly. After pleading guilty, Dionese was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison. While out on bail, Dionice struggled with her drug addiction and was forced to face the judge several times for violating her bail conditions.
Dionise's attorney says she chose to surrender to federal prison, so that the state court would have the option of sentencing her to serve her state time along with the federal sentence, rather than serving one sentence after the other.
Now, in order to be sentenced in the state case, prosecutors will have to use a writ to have her released from federal custody and transported to the Big Island, a process that can take several months.
Monday, March 01, 2010
Woman receives 15 year prison sentence for meth conspiracy
Tennessee woman receives prison time for taking part in meth ring
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Dyersburg State Gazette
A Union City woman accused of participating in a methamphetamine-selling ring was sentenced Feb. 23 in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
Janet Martinez, who was born in 1979, must serve 180 months in a federal prison. She must complete a 500-hour drug program while she's there. Afterward, she will be placed on supervised release for five years, must participate in any recommended drug and alcohol testing and treatment programs and provide DNA samples.
Martinez also was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the court.
She was one of nine persons accused of establishing a methamphetamine market in Obion County. All nine have pleaded guilty; two more are awaiting sentencing.
Martinez pleaded guilty March 9, 2009, to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Dyersburg State Gazette
A Union City woman accused of participating in a methamphetamine-selling ring was sentenced Feb. 23 in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
Janet Martinez, who was born in 1979, must serve 180 months in a federal prison. She must complete a 500-hour drug program while she's there. Afterward, she will be placed on supervised release for five years, must participate in any recommended drug and alcohol testing and treatment programs and provide DNA samples.
Martinez also was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the court.
She was one of nine persons accused of establishing a methamphetamine market in Obion County. All nine have pleaded guilty; two more are awaiting sentencing.
Martinez pleaded guilty March 9, 2009, to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
68 year old woman sentenced to 5 years in prison for meth
68-year-old Covelo woman sentenced to prison in meth case
Feb 27, 2010 The Ukiah Daily Journal
A 68-year-old Covelo woman was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison on charges related to her sale of methamphetamine in the Covelo area.
Nancie Erline Henthorne was arrested last year by the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force on methamphetamine-related charges. In January, a jury found Henthorne guilty after a three-day trial.
"About 40 percent of the court's resources are devoted one way or another to methamphetamine-related offenses or methamphetamine-related problems," Superior Court Judge Richard J. Henderson said.
Henderson said Henthorne's actions were selfish and damaging to the community.
"Meth is a terrible scourge in this community," Henderson said. Henthorne's case was one of the most difficult sentences for Henderson to consider in his career due to Henthorne's age, he said.
In Covelo, Henthorne had operated the now-closed Casita Gallardo restaurant. Police said they found more than seven ounces of methamphetamine at her home, a .22 caliber Derringer pistol and about $30,000 cash in a Tri Counties Bank safe deposit box.
Defense attorney Justin Petersen said that Henthorne, with her former business and now her home gone, has lost everything.
"When the business failed she turned to selling methamphetamine not out of greed," Petersen said, "but to save her family and lift them out of the gutter." Deputy District Attorney Katherine Houston said that Henthorne was a major supplier of methamphetamine in the Covelo area.
"If we all lose our business or job or have financial problems, that does not justify us going into the drug-dealing business," Houston said.
A seven-year sentence without probation was recommended by the Probation Department, Henderson said.
Houston said the court has no choice but to send a message to Mendocino County residents that methamphetamine offenses mean a prison sentence.
"Your honor," Houston said, "this is the case to do this with, to tell methamphetamine dealers that you are going and you are going for a long time."
Feb 27, 2010 The Ukiah Daily Journal
A 68-year-old Covelo woman was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison on charges related to her sale of methamphetamine in the Covelo area.
Nancie Erline Henthorne was arrested last year by the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force on methamphetamine-related charges. In January, a jury found Henthorne guilty after a three-day trial.
"About 40 percent of the court's resources are devoted one way or another to methamphetamine-related offenses or methamphetamine-related problems," Superior Court Judge Richard J. Henderson said.
Henderson said Henthorne's actions were selfish and damaging to the community.
"Meth is a terrible scourge in this community," Henderson said. Henthorne's case was one of the most difficult sentences for Henderson to consider in his career due to Henthorne's age, he said.
In Covelo, Henthorne had operated the now-closed Casita Gallardo restaurant. Police said they found more than seven ounces of methamphetamine at her home, a .22 caliber Derringer pistol and about $30,000 cash in a Tri Counties Bank safe deposit box.
Defense attorney Justin Petersen said that Henthorne, with her former business and now her home gone, has lost everything.
"When the business failed she turned to selling methamphetamine not out of greed," Petersen said, "but to save her family and lift them out of the gutter." Deputy District Attorney Katherine Houston said that Henthorne was a major supplier of methamphetamine in the Covelo area.
"If we all lose our business or job or have financial problems, that does not justify us going into the drug-dealing business," Houston said.
A seven-year sentence without probation was recommended by the Probation Department, Henderson said.
Houston said the court has no choice but to send a message to Mendocino County residents that methamphetamine offenses mean a prison sentence.
"Your honor," Houston said, "this is the case to do this with, to tell methamphetamine dealers that you are going and you are going for a long time."
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Tennessee woman receives prison time for taking part in meth ring Thursday, February 25, 2010 Dyersburg State Gazette A Union City woma...
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Former Big Island Teacher In Prison For Meth Distribution Daryl Huff KITV 4 News Reporter POSTED: 1:59 pm HST March 2, 2010 HILO -- Lyn...
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