Drug dealing is an incredibly serious type of conduct to be accused of. If a person is found guilty of having made drug sales, they can be given rather massive prison sentences. This is illustrated in a recent drug dealing case from a neighboring state, Indiana. It appears that the man who was convicted in this case will be spending over a decade behind bars.
The man is 35 years old. Authorities alleged that, in January 2013, the man sold crack cocaine in Lake County, Indiana. Purportedly, the individual the man allegedly sold the crack cocaine to was a confidential informant for local police.
The 35-year-old man was criminally charged over the alleged crack cocaine sale. In April, he was found guilty.
The judge in the case recently issued the man his sentence. The man was given a prison sentence of 11 years. He was also given a 3-year sentence of serving in an alternative sentencing program at Lake County Community Corrections, which is to follow the prison sentence.
Here in Illinois and in other states, there are a great many things that can impact sentencing in a drug case. One is whether the defendant has prior convictions. Having priors on one’s record can sometimes lead to harsher sentencing. The 35-year-old man had four prior misdemeanor convictions and four past felony convictions. These previous convictions were cited in the judge’s sentencing decision in the case.
Experienced defense attorneys are knowledgeable of the various factors that can play roles in sentencing matters and can help individuals here in Illinois who have been convicted of drug crimes build a case for leniency for their sentencing hearing.
Source: Post-Tribune, “Lake County Courts: 14-year prison term for coke deal,” Ruth Ann Krause, July 10, 2014
