Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Cocaine dealer goes to prison

Gooding man sentenced to seven years

By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Ricardo Lopez-Villa

A 27-year-old Gooding man was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison for "drug trafficking in cocaine" in Blaine County.

Ricardo Lopez-Villa will be required to spend three years behind bars before he is eligible for parole. He was sentenced by 5th District Court Judge Robert J. Elgee, who followed the recommendation of the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matt Fredback told the court at Monday's hearing that Lopez-Villa has a "long history of violations of the law" including "multiple DUI and alcohol convictions."

Lopez-Villa was indicted on the charge by a Blaine County grand jury in June 2008 for selling an ounce of cocaine to a confidential informant in January of that year.

He pleaded guilty to the charge in February in a plea agreement with the prosecuting attorney's office. He was represented by Hailey attorney Kevin Cassidy under the Roark Law Firm's public defender contract with Blaine County.

Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com



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