CLEARFIELD – An Ohio man convicted of several felony counts for providing a large amount of drugs for sale in Clearfield County may be spending the rest of his life in prison.
In March, a jury convicted James Deshaun Thomas, 52, for 11 counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and one count each of criminal conspiracy/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, corrupt organizations, criminal conspiracy/corrupt organizations and criminal use of communication facility.
Monday during colloquy court, Thomas was sentenced by Judge Paul Cherry to a total of 35 to 70 years in state prison with seven years consecutive probation.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Michael Madeira in a phone interview said he was satisfied with the sentence, which will run consecutive to Thomas’ current federal prison sentence of 15 years for drug and firearm charges.
The defense, attorney Joe Ryan, asked for a concurrent sentence, Madeira said.
“I was appreciative that they did not give him a volume discount,” Madeira stated. “If they sell (drugs) multiple times, they need to get multiple sentences.”
He also explained that Thomas has only served three years of the federal sentence so it will be a while before he even starts this new sentence.
Thomas was the source first for Don Mullens of Houtzdale until he died from a drug overdose in May of 2018 and then for his girlfriend, Sondra McQuillen, 56, according to grand jury testimony and testimony in the trial.
In a press conference in January 2019, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the street value of the drugs in this case, which included methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs, was estimated to be $1.5 million.
The investigation into this drug ring began in September of 2017, after several controlled purchases of meth from a Clearfield couple, Jason Lynn, 40, and Joyce Lee Merritts, 36, according to the grand jury testimony.
During the trial, testimony revealed Mullens and or McQuillen reportedly traveled to Ohio on approximately 26 occasions in 2018.
On July 26, 2018, law enforcement officers followed McQuillen and another individual to Akron where she met with Thomas. She purchased meth and other drugs for $3,800, according to the report.
She was followed back to Clearfield County where investigators executed a search warrant on her vehicle.
Officers found one third of a pound of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, marijuana and pills suspected to be prescription medications in the vehicle.
Search warrants were also executed at Thomas’s residence the same day. It uncovered four ounces of meth, almost 200 grams of cocaine/crack, and marijuana.
In the barber shop where he worked, police found two pounds of meth, over four ounces of cocaine and almost three pounds of marijuana, according to previous reports.
The grand jury learned that Thomas admitted he met with McQuillen on the day she was stopped by police, through prison telephone calls. He further admitted that he should have stopped “doing things” with McQuillen after Mullens died.
In February of 2019, Jason Merritts pleaded guilty to selling methamphetamine from this source at their apartment in Lawrence Township.
For felony charges of possession with intent to deliver-methamphetamine, criminal conspiracy, criminal use of communication facility, endangering the welfare of children, and corrupt organizations, Cherry sentenced him to 3½ to seven years in state prison with an additional 10 years of probation.
In July of 2019, Joyce Merritts, 36, was placed in the state’s intermediate punishment program for similar drug offenses.
In March, McQuillen pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance (methamphetamine and cocaine), conspiracy/possession with intent to deliver, criminal use of a communication facility, dealing in proceeds of unlawful acts and corrupt organizations, all felonies.
Cherry sentenced her to a total of 10 to 20 years in state prison.