FARMINGTON — A Strong man pleaded guilty Thursday in Franklin County Superior Court to selling his oxycodone pills and possessing one methadone pill in July 2014.
Dave L. Melvin, 62, waived indictment before he entered pleas to a felony drug trafficking charge and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession.
The state dismissed a felony burglary charge and misdemeanor charges of falsifying physical evidence and theft.
Melvin told the court he has never been convicted of a felony charge
Testimony would have been heard that Melvin admitted to Franklin County detective Steve Charles, who was investigating a heroin overdose in Strong, that he sold oxycodone pills, Assistant District Attorney Claire Andrews said.
Testimony would also have shown that Melvin had a prescription filled for 84, 15-milligram oxycodone pills and 10 days later they were gone, she said. There were also several ledgers that were discovered when a search warrant was conducted.
Melvin’s attorney, Thomas Carey, said that he listened to the audio of the recorded interview and never heard Melvin admit to selling the drugs.
He could hear Charles saying to Melvin, “Thank you for admitting to selling oxycodone.”
Carey said he listened to the audio evidence several times with Melvin and neither could hear the admission.
Melvin had about 40 notebooks that mostly contained weather entries but there was some indication that he was selling narcotics, he said.
The recommended sentence is three years in prison with all but six months suspended on the trafficking charge, she said. After he is released, he would be on probation for three years. The sentence for the possession charge is recommended at 30 days to be served at the same time for the possession charge. There would also be a $400 fine.
The six months is a cap of the time that would be served in jail, Andrews said.
Carey said he needs some time to get Melvin’s medical records in regards to his chronic back and neck pain. His health will be a big factor in his sentencing argument, he said.
Melvin is scheduled to return to court on March 26 for sentencing.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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