1 drug bust trial set
After a July drug bust netted 17 arrests, one man is now set for trial and another woman involved was a no-show during pretrial conferences at the Stark County Courthouse in Dickinson on Tuesday afternoon.
After a July drug bust netted 17 arrests, one man is now set for trial and another woman involved was a no-show during pretrial conferences at the Stark County Courthouse in Dickinson on Tuesday afternoon.
Dickinson resident Stacey Thornton, 43, is charged for allegedly delivering five morphine pills to 48-year-old Douglas Johnson, who was also arrested during the sting operation, according to a previous Press article.
Thornton pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing in October and was scheduled for a pretrial conference Tuesday afternoon, but never showed up.
Judge William Herauf advised Thornton’s attorney, Mary Nordsven, if she didn’t hear from Thornton by Monday, he would issue a warrant for her arrest.
Stark County State’s Attorney Tom Henning said Thornton was also a no-show for her last pretrial conference, however no arrest warrant was issued as she then made contact with her attorney.
After Thornton didn’t show up for her previous pretrial conference, Nordsven says she sent Thornton a notice of Tuesday’s rescheduled time.
Nordsven said after Thornton was evicted, she sent the notice to Thornton’s mother to ensure Thornton received the notice.
“I can’t be 100 percent sure that she got the notice of today’s date, but that’s the best I can do,” Nordsven said, adding she also left a voicemail for Thornton.
Herauf elected not to forfeit Thornton’s bond.
Thornton’s Class A felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Dickinson resident Phillip Bennett, 32, who was also arrested during the July sting, faces two counts for allegedly delivering methamphetamine, which is a Class A felony.
Bennett also had a pretrial conference Tuesday and is scheduled for a two-day, 12-person jury trial the week of Jan. 19, but no specific date has been set.
But, a chance exists that charges stemming from the drug bust could be dropped as a confidential informant used in most of the 17 arrests cannot be found.
Henning declined comment on whether or not law enforcement has been in contact with or located the informant.
Tags: drug bust, confidential informant, phillip bennett, stacy thornton, news
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