Judge calls drug convict 'poison' to community
A Butler judge told a Philadelphia man on Thursday that he was a “poison” to the community and the country before sentencing him to 33 months to 11 years in state prison for drug charges.
A jury found Thomas W. Stevenson Jr. guilty last month of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia and possession with intent to deliver.
During the jury trial, prosecutors relied heavily on the testimony of a confidential informant and shaky footage taken during a 2015 drug deal between the informant and Stevenson.
Leading up to Stevenson's sentencing, his lawyer, Komron Maknoon, tried to soften the sentence by explaining why Stevenson had turned to drug dealing. He said that Stevenson's father died while Stevenson was young and “he was left to his own resources and raised himself. I mention this because it may be a mitigating factor. He had no proper guidance of a male role model.”
But Judge Timothy McCune said he had no sympathy for Stevenson.
“Mr. Stevenson is a businessman. His business puts a lot of poison in our community and, by extent, the country,” McCune said. “As businessmen, they know the risks. This is not a situation where addicts are selling to their friends.”
Stevenson stood in front of McCune, wearing a white buttoned-down shirt tucked into slacks. McCune addressed him directly: “Now, I know there's a lot of other people who will take your place, but you'll be one less person (who) cops will have to worry about.”
With that, McCune sentenced Stevenson, who walked in freely that morning, but left in handcuffs to be processed for state prison. Along with the state prison sentence, Stevenson must also pay a $230 fine.
Stevenson made no comment during his appearance, but afterward Maknoon commented on the jury's decision and McCune's sentence.
“I respect the jury's decision, and after being found guilty, I think his sentence is not a surprise. It's not surprising,” Maknoon said. “Although I respect the jury's decision, it doesn't sit well with me. We're going to appeal and exhaust our legal remedies.”
