Tuesday, March 18, 2008 2:58 PM CDT
Jury deliberates for two hours before convicting man for selling 'ecstasy'
By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — Prison time will be required for a Charleston man after a jury convicted him of a selling an illegal drug.
Antonio C. Osborne, 21, 2318 Bostic Drive No. 303, was found guilty of a charge of delivery of a controlled substance after the jury deliberated for less than two hours. Osborne was accused of selling 20 pills of the drug known as “ecstasy.”
According to police documents in the case, a person cooperating with the East Central Illinois Task Force drug investigation agency bought 20 pills of the drug, which is both a hallucinogen and a stimulant, from Osborne on June 6. A telephone conversation between the two arranging the sale was tape-recorded, the documents said.
Circuit Judge Gary Jacobs scheduled Osborne’s sentencing for May 7. Because of the quantity of the drug involved in the alleged sale, the offense requires a prison sentence of six to 30 years without the possibility of probation.
Osborne had been free on bond, but after the jury announced its verdict, Jacobs granted a prosecution motion asking that he remain jailed without bond until sentencing or another hearing to address the bond issue. Assistant State’s Attorney Mick McAvoy and Jeremy Richey prosecuted the case and Urbana attorney Harvey Welch represented Osborne.
In other drug cases in court recently, Jacobs accepted guilty pleas from:
-Nancy Ruiz, 34, 1310 Madison Ave., Charleston, to a charge of delivery of a controlled substance accusing her of selling cocaine on Aug. 24.
The original charge against Ruiz alleged that at least a half-ounce of the drug was sold, and a conviction for that offense would have required a six- to 30-year prison sentence. However, in the agreement reached in her case, the amount of drug listed in the charge was reduced so probation was possible, and Ruiz received the maximum probation term of four years.
Probation terms included payment of a total of $3,300 in fines and substance abuse treatment. Jacobs accepted a plea agreement that McAvoy and defense attorney Todd Reardon recommended.
-Danette M. Frey, 32, 216 Wabash Ave., to a methamphetamine possession charge alleging she had the drug on Sept. 9.
Frey was placed on probation for two years with terms including drug treatment and $400 in fines while jail time was stayed, meaning she won’t have to serve it if she follows the other requirements of her sentence.
Jacobs accepted a plea agreement that McAvoy and Public Defender Lonnie Lutz recommended. The case against a co-defendant, Raymond Cline Jr., 43, 74 Moultrie Ave., Mattoon, is still pending and he’s scheduled to return to court on April 4.
-Adam C. Beck, 28, 500 S. Sixth St. No. 16, Charleston, to a methamphetamine possession charge accusing him of having the drug on Dec. 4.
Terms of Beck’s two-year probation sentence included treatment and $1,200 in fines under the agreement that McAvoy and Lutz recommended. A co-defendant, Nicole R. Vannoy, 25, of the same address is scheduled for a hearing on March 28.
Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 348-5733.
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85CHSGrad wrote on Mar 18, 2008 10:32 AM:
as ran in TCJG:
"Donald R. Howell, 35, of rural Cowden pleaded guilty to a charge of manufacture of a controlled substance that accused him of making methamphetamine on April 16, 2004.
Howell also pleaded guilty to an obstructing justice charge alleging he fled from police and tried to dispose of a bag of methamphetamine before he was arrested on Dec. 20, 2006.
Under the agreement reached in his case, Howell was admitted to Coles County’s drug court program. The program is "sometimes" an alternative to prison time or probation for people who admit to their charges and agree to weekly court appearances, regular drug testing and other monitoring and requirements."
...Making meth isn't enough to get a prison sentence in Coles County? Isn't this the same drug that landed Jason Abernathy on the front page? Isn't McAvoy the same prosecutor trying to give Mr. Abernathy up to 10 years, just for possessing meth? And what determines the "sometimes" they get drug court? Prior convictions? Not in the Howell case! He had priors. People need to open their eyes and look at what is really going on up at that courthouse.
Corruption,Corruption,Corruption!!!
These cases show prejudice against Abernathy to me!
"