Raymond Leland King appeared in district court last Tuesday, April 12. King has an extensive criminal history and has been in custody at the Churchill County Jail on drug-related charges for over eight months.
King was arrested by the task force last August and initially faced charges of (1) Possession of Schedule I or II Controlled Substance (less than 14 grams), (2) Possession of Burglary Tools, (3) Buy, Possess, or Receive Stolen Property, (4) Possession of a Firearm by an Ex-Felon, and (5) Sell, Transport or Attempt to Sell Schedule I or II Controlled Substance, with a school enhancement for drugs.
Per the terms of his plea agreement, King pled guilty to two charges. Count (1) Offer, Attempt, or Commission of an Unauthorized Act Related to a Controlled Substance, a Category C Felony, punishable by 1-5 years in prison and a fine of not more than $10,000, and Count (2) Grand Larceny of a Firearm, a Category B Felony that carries a penalty of 1-10 years in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Chelsea Sanford argued strongly for prison for King during sentencing, citing his extensive criminal history, including several larcenies and firearm thefts. According to Sanford, King has seven felony convictions and has been to prison five times. In this case, King was found to possess 3.9 grams of methamphetamine and a stolen firearm. “We have to protect the community,” stated Sanford. “We can’t grant him anymore leniency.”
Scott Jamieson, Esq., defense counsel for King, shared his client’s dark history and long-standing addiction issues with the court. “He was physically, mentally, and sexually assaulted as a child. By age ten he was taken out of the home, by 12 he was drinking, at 14 he was introduced to meth, and by 17 or 18, he was a daily meth user,” said Jamieson. However, he has watched King over the last eight months, in which he repeatedly asked for help. Mr. King is now eight months clean and seeing things differently, said Jamieson. “He desires, for the first time in his life, to get help getting off of meth.”
According to Jamieson, King had also been experiencing thoughts of suicide due to the effects of meth on his life. After being released on his own recognizance, he sought help through New Frontier for his addiction and learned he has also struggled with mental health issues. Jamieson believes that despite how hugely difficult meth is to overcome, his client may be one of the few who can beat it with enough help. “He has a strong desire to get control of his life. Up until last summer, his mindset had been solely on using meth and committing crimes that would allow him to continue to use,” said Jamieson. “Clean Raymond King versus the Raymond that you saw before – they are very different. He needs help and inpatient treatment.” Jamieson asked the court to consider King’s horrific history and his desire to do things differently, grant probation, and allow him an opportunity to continue treatment with New Frontier.
King apologized to the court, explaining that he was in a dark place when he committed the offense. “I truly am sorry for what I did,” King said. “I am asking you to give me a chance to right my wrongs – and I have a lot of wrongs. I want to break my addiction and deal with my issues.”
After some consideration, Judge Stockard told King, “If this were a substance abuse offense alone, I think I would be more likely to consider Mr. Jamieson’s argument for probation, but this is not your first firearm offense.” Stockard sentenced King to 18-60 months on the drug charge and 24-72 months on the larceny charge. King was remanded back to the custody of the Sheriff’s office for the imposition of a sentence.
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