Four more drug dealers from last April's major Blaine County drug bust were sentenced to prison or a state correctional facility in 5th District Court in Hailey on Monday morning.
Seven of 13 suspects that were indicted by a Blaine County grand jury following the drug bust have now been sentenced to either prison or jail. Three other suspects have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Charges were dismissed against one of the 13 and court proceedings are still pending against the remaining two.
All four of the suspects were brought into court in orange Blaine County Jail attire, having been incarcerated since their arrests. All four were represented by Hailey attorney Douglas Werth under his public defender contract with Blaine County.
Jose Antonio Hurtado Jr.
Jose Antonio Hurtado Jr., a 25-year-old Hailey man, received the lightest sentence of the four drug dealers who were sentenced on Monday.
Rather than prison time, Judge Robert J. Elgee sentenced the defendant to a "180-day rider" to be served at the North Idaho Correctional Institution in Cottonwood, where evaluation and treatment is available for substance abusers.
"If you fail the rider program, I won't even see you again," Elgee told Hurtado. "You'll go straight to prison."
Hurtado, who was originally indicted on six drug felonies, pleaded guilty in September to a single count of delivery of methamphetamine. The sentence was in accord with a pre-sentence investigation report prepared prior to the hearing.
Werth told the court that Hurtado has no other felony convictions and was arrested for selling only small quantities of drugs. He acknowledged that the defendant has a drug abuse problem and has violated probation several times in the past.
"The root cause with probation violations in the past is no secret," Werth said. "It's drug abuse."
Elgee suspended a five-year prison sentence he imposed on the defendant, but said the sentence will be reinstated if Hurtado fails at Cottonwood.
"You haven't shown a lot of ability to tow the line and obey the law," Elgee said. It's your choice, Jose, where you go from here."
Refugio Regaldo-Gil
Refugio Regaldo-Gil, a 23-year-old Bellevue man, came to sentencing hoping for leniency but ended up with a six-year prison sentence, with two years to be served before he's eligible for parole.
The defendant, who was originally indicted by the grand jury on three felony drug charges, pleaded guilty in September to a single count of possession of methamphetamine.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matt Fredback told the court that Regaldo-Gil has repeatedly violated probation for past offenses, including a 2004 conviction for forgery.
"Mr. Regaldo has never been able to complete probation," Fredback said. "Every time he's out of jail he's continued to commit crimes."
Court records show that Regaldo-Gil is a Mexican citizen who has lived most of his life as a legal resident in the Wood River Valley.
Werth described the defendant as a former "star athlete" in high school whose life went bad after he started using drugs at the age of 17.
"He wants nothing more than to put methamphetamine use in his past," Werth said.
Refugio-Gil testified on his own behalf. He described how his life has changed since the birth of his son in July. The defendant, who was incarcerated at the time, told the court that he saw his son for the first time when the infant was brought to court for his change of plea hearing in September.
The defendant said that his time in jail has given him the opportunity to reflect on the mistakes he's made.
"I'm 23 years old now and I need to fix my life around," Refugio-Gil said. "I'm a whole different man now. If you love yourself, you love life. When you're in that drug world, you don't care about yourself. You only care about getting high."
But Elgee said the that the defendant has been given numerous chances in the past to change his life but has failed.
"This case shows exactly why methamphetamine is so awful," Elgee said. "It's awful that you're addicted to it. It's awful that you're selling it to other people. I can't give you another chance. You have put yourself in this situation over and over and over again."
Steve R. Sanders
Steve R. Sanders, a 29-year-old Oregon man, came to court expecting a prison sentence and that's what he got—six years with three of them to be served before he's eligible for parole.
Sanders, originally charged with two drug felonies, pleaded guilty in September to a single count of trafficking in methamphetamine.
Fredback described Sanders as major drug dealer with a past criminal history including robbery and assault convictions. He was accused in Blaine County of selling some $3,000 worth of methamphetamine to an undercover narcotics officer.
The defendant's only request was that he be allowed to spend his prison time in Oregon, where he also faces drug charges. That way, Sanders said, he can be closer to his family, including an infant child.
"I know I made a lot of mistakes in my life," Sanders said. "I've made a lot of bad decisions and I'm going to have to pay the price for that."
Elgee granted the request that prison time be spent in Oregon, as long as Oregon authorities agree.
Fidel Cornejo-Gomez
Fidel "Freddy" Cornejo-Gomez, the only illegal immigrant among those sentenced on Monday, received a six-year prison term with three years to be spent behind bars before he's eligible for parole.
Cornejo-Gomez, a 29-year-old former Ketchum resident who was originally charged with six felonies, pleaded guilty in September to a single count of delivery of methamphetamine.
Fredback told the court that Cornejo-Gomez was deported in 2005 on a Cassia County conviction but returned to the U.S. within two weeks.
"He hasn't shown anyone that he has intentions to change his drug habit or his lifestyle," Fredback said.
Elgee advised the defendant not to return to the U.S. if he's deported following his prison term.
"It's important that you stay out this time because the federal government can imprison you just for re-entry," Elgee said.
