MONROE - A Monroe man who admitted he "blew it" by selling narcotics while on probation was given a second chance Thursday, Aug. 9, in Green County Circuit Court.
Richard Daniel Ward, 21, was sentenced to one year in jail and four years of probation on convictions of selling fentanyl to undercover agents in his Monroe home in December and January.
Fentanyl is an addictive narcotic painkiller more powerful than morphine and is typically prescribed in a gel-pack to people suffering severe cancer pain. Abusers of fentanyl smoke it, chew it or boil the gel to extract a fluid to inject intravenously.
By selling fentanyl, Ward revoked his probation on a previous felony drug conviction - a probation issued 18 months ago by the same judge.
The revocation could have meant years in prison, but Judge Thomas Vale said Ward showed enough promise that he deserved a second chance.
"If it happens again, you're done," Judge Thomas Vale told Ward. "Good luck to you."
Vale found evidence for giving Ward another chance right in the courtroom. Eight of Ward's friends and family members turned out for the hearing, including his mother, father and girlfriend.
Given Ward's youth, family support and good employment history, Vale said it was important that he "keep one foot in the community" by staying at the county jail instead of leaving it behind for the state prison.
Vale's sentencing was in line with the recommendations of defense attorney Guy Taylor and District Attorney Gary Luhman.
"We are addressing a real narcotic problem in our society," Taylor said, but he added that the laws put in place to punish offenders aren't one-size-fits-all.
"I don't believe that the general policy that they're trying to espouse fits this offender," he said.
Ward has a better chance at rehabilitation "than the typical offender," Taylor said, because of his youth, supportive family, solid work history and a boss who'd "hire him back in a heartbeat."
When given the chance to speak, Ward told the court he "blew it" and used bad judgment by selling drugs earlier this year.
"I'll not make that mistake again," he said.
Watching the guys on his cell block in jail come and go over the course of the past six months has opened his eyes, he added.
"I don't want to be like those people," he said.
Richard Daniel Ward, 21, was sentenced to one year in jail and four years of probation on convictions of selling fentanyl to undercover agents in his Monroe home in December and January.
Fentanyl is an addictive narcotic painkiller more powerful than morphine and is typically prescribed in a gel-pack to people suffering severe cancer pain. Abusers of fentanyl smoke it, chew it or boil the gel to extract a fluid to inject intravenously.
By selling fentanyl, Ward revoked his probation on a previous felony drug conviction - a probation issued 18 months ago by the same judge.
The revocation could have meant years in prison, but Judge Thomas Vale said Ward showed enough promise that he deserved a second chance.
"If it happens again, you're done," Judge Thomas Vale told Ward. "Good luck to you."
Vale found evidence for giving Ward another chance right in the courtroom. Eight of Ward's friends and family members turned out for the hearing, including his mother, father and girlfriend.
Given Ward's youth, family support and good employment history, Vale said it was important that he "keep one foot in the community" by staying at the county jail instead of leaving it behind for the state prison.
Vale's sentencing was in line with the recommendations of defense attorney Guy Taylor and District Attorney Gary Luhman.
"We are addressing a real narcotic problem in our society," Taylor said, but he added that the laws put in place to punish offenders aren't one-size-fits-all.
"I don't believe that the general policy that they're trying to espouse fits this offender," he said.
Ward has a better chance at rehabilitation "than the typical offender," Taylor said, because of his youth, supportive family, solid work history and a boss who'd "hire him back in a heartbeat."
When given the chance to speak, Ward told the court he "blew it" and used bad judgment by selling drugs earlier this year.
"I'll not make that mistake again," he said.
Watching the guys on his cell block in jail come and go over the course of the past six months has opened his eyes, he added.
"I don't want to be like those people," he said.