Pubdate: Sat, 18 May 2002
Source: Ledger-Enquirer (GA)
Copyright: 2002 Ledger-Enquirer
Contact:  http://www.l-e-o.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/237
Author: JIM HOUSTON, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing)

TEEN GETS 10 YEARS FOR DRUGS

Cocaine Trafficker Is A First-Time Offender, But Sentence Is Mandatory

Keir L. Hall was 18 years old when he sold a sheriff's informant $200 worth 
of cocaine.

He'll have 10 years in prison to regret his crime -- and most of his adult 
life to pay a mandatory $200,000 fine that accompanied the prison sentence 
he received Friday from Muscogee Superior Court Chief Judge Kenneth Followill.

Assistant District Attorney Crawford Seals said Hall, who pleaded guilty to 
trafficking in cocaine and sale of cocaine, made the sale to a Muscogee 
County Sheriff's Department undercover informant Oct. 25. When officers 
later went into the apartment from which Hall made the sale, they found 76 
grams of cocaine -- almost 3 ounces -- along with scales for measuring 
drugs and $3,000 in cash.

"Keir has admitted what he did from day one, and he's been in jail ever 
since," defense attorney Dave Roberts told Followill. Although Hall of 3113 
Cherokee Ave. in Columbus has no prior record, he has no choice except to 
plead guilty and accept the mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, he said.

"It's a sad situation, but the General Assembly has decided that's what the 
sentence should be," Followill said.

The judge noted that he has no discretion in the matter and is required to 
follow the sentence laid out by Georgia's mandatory sentencing statute, 
including a $200,000 fine that would take Hall more than 33 years to pay 
off if he began paying $500 each month after his release from prison.
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