ROCKLAND, Maine — A 45-year-old man who was referred to as a walking illegal pharmacy was sentenced Wednesday to three years in jail — a sentence less than what he would have received under a plea deal that was rejected as too lenient five months ago in the same courtroom by a different judge.
Justice Daniel Billings sentenced Dedrick Huff, who lists both New York City and the Maine town of Washington as his residence, to seven years in prison with all but three years suspended for trafficking in drugs.
Huff was arrested Jan. 2 by Rockland police after officers noticed him driving erratically on Payne Avenue, also known as Route 1, in Rockland. Huff failed several field sobriety tests and was arrested on a charge of operating under the influence.
When searching Huff, officers also found approximately 35 grams of crack cocaine, five grams of cocaine, 45 oxymorphone pills, 40 methadone pills and a small amount of Suboxone.
At a hearing in April, then Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm rejected a deal that would have sentenced Huff to eight years in prison with all but four years suspended. Hjelm, who has since been appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, said he could not accept any sentence that would have Huff serve less than six years in prison.
The defense had pointed out in April that Huff had no criminal record and had an alcohol abuse problem for decades that later turned into an addiction to drugs. Defense Attorney Jeremy Pratt also said there was no evidence that Huff sold the drugs to anyone.
The proposed sentence had been negotiated with the Attorney General’s Office, which argued in April that four years was a reasonable sentence. This time as well, there was a four-year cap agreed to which allowed the defense to argue for less. In April, Assistant Attorney General Katie Sibley described Huff as a walking illegal pharmacy and argued that the amount of drugs in his possession, and how they were packaged, showed his intent to traffic.
In addressing the differing views on sentencing, Pratt, the defense attorney, said Thursday that judges are not robots and they each bring their own experiences to the court. The defense attorney said he argued for an 18-month sentence and believes the the three years imposed on his client was on the high side of the range for similar offenses in the state.
Justice Billings also ordered Huff to be on probation for three years upon his release. Huff has been held in jail since his arrest, so he will be released in less than two years.