Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Drug suspect gets a year in jail

Prosecutions continue following April?s major drug bust


By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

William Smith

A 67-year-old Ketchum man was sentenced Monday to a year in the Blaine County Jail for felony possession of cocaine.

William "Billy" Smith, one of 13 suspects indicted by a Blaine County grand jury in April following a major county drug bust, will be given credit for 224 days already spent behind bars and the opportunity to get medical treatment during the remainder of his jail term with the Veterans Administration in Boise.

Fifth District Court Judge Robert J. Elgee told Smith that he will allow a "furlough" from jail if the defendant is able to get into a VA "residential" program.

Public defender Cheri Hicks told the court that Smith is a high school graduate, a former Sun Valley Co. employee and a U.S. Air Force veteran. She said Smith suffers from several medical conditions and is HIV positive.

A pre-sentence investigation report alleged that Smith has been addicted to cocaine since the age of 37.

Smith, who was originally charged with two felony counts of delivery of cocaine, pleaded guilty in September to a single count of possession of the drug.

Hicks described her client as a small-time dealer who only sold cocaine to support his own habit. She pointed out that the two cocaine delivery charges involved purchases of only $100 and $150.

"These are not huge quantities or huge dollar amounts," Hicks said. "This was not an income-producing activity."

Hicks further pointed out that Smith has no prior criminal convictions and requested that Elgee sentence the defendant to time already served.

"I would argue that that is enough punishment for his crime," she said.

The Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office recommended that Smith be sentenced to four years in prison, with two of them to be served before parole eligibility.

Smith, who has noticeably gained weight during his seven months in jail, briefly addressed the court.

"I apologize with all my heart," he said. "I have truly learned my lesson with the amount of time I have spent in incarceration."




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