Dateline: July 4, 2002

Jury finds Tolbert guilty on drug charges

A 12-member Donley County jury sentenced Randy Tolbert of Clarendon to 20 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division last week.

Tolbert, age 33, was found guilty of the offense of Delivery of a Controlled Substance for delivering methampetamine to an undercover Department of Public Safety narcotics officer.

District Judge David McCoy presided over the trial which began Monday, June 24, and concluded after one day of testimony. The jury returned the guilty verdict after deliberating for 30 minutes.

“This case was put together through the cooperative effort of the Donley County Sheriff’s Office and the DPS narcotics officers,” 100th Judicial District Attorney Stuart Messer said. “We always appreciate when we receive help from specialists from the DPS. Many times it is very difficult for local officers from a small town to get drug dealers to sell to them because local law enforcement officers are well known to criminals.”

Messer also said he appreciated Clarendon College for allowing the court to use the Bairfield Activity Center while the Donley County Courthouse is being restored.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn thought the sentence sent a message to drug dealers.

“You don’t want to go before a jury on drug charges in Donley County,” he said.

In this case, Messer represented the State of Texas, and the defendant was represented by David Holt of Pampa.