He'll Pay Price for Shipping Marijuana

[XLE420]

Thomas Throckmorton tried to reassure his wife Monday afternoon as they sat in a federal courtroom, smiling at her, saying, "Don't cry. It'll be OK."

But nothing could stop the tears from flowing as U.S. District Judge Terrance McVerry sentenced Throckmorton, 61, of Economy, to more than seven years in federal prison after being convicted of having 233 pounds of marijuana shipped into Beaver County.

Throckmorton's defense attorney, Paul Boas of Pittsburgh, had begged McVerry to "impose justice with mercy," saying Throckmorton, who has health problems including diabetes, depression and heart disease, would suffer unnecessarily in prison.

"He's not going to be well," Boas said, adding that Throckmorton had been assaulted twice, once involving a head injury, while in the Allegheny County Jail as his federal court case proceeded over the past year.

Throckmorton, a former engineer within the steel industry, was the owner of Industrial Construction Enterprise in Ambridge, at the former borough building along Merchant Street.

Federal prosecutors said that on July 17, 2005, a truck registered to Throckmorton's business and driven by Robert Gailey was stopped in Missouri, and the marijuana was found inside.

Gailey testified that he was bringing the marijuana back to Beaver County on Throckmorton's behalf and that more shipments were pending.

According to court records, assistant U.S. Attorney Almon Burke said prosecutors thought there were more than 1,200 pounds of the drug involved in Throckmorton's operation.

Throckmorton's wife of 39 years, Nancy, pleaded with McVerry to be lenient on her husband. She said that as she was undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, her husband was supportive, and he has also been a good father to their daughter, Julie Throckmorton-Meunier.

She showed the judge birthday and anniversary cards her husband sent her while in jail, and also showed a letter that had a drawing of a vacation he hoped the two could take.

"I would like to have time with him," Nancy Throckmorton said. "You blink your eyes, those 39 years are gone."

Throckmorton-Meunier tearfully told McVerry that her father worked three jobs when she was young, yet "he put every ounce of his attention with me."

She added that her father had a tough childhood, but that he never carried over those traits to her, saying, "He never abused me."

McVerry said that during sentencing, he had to take Throckmorton's prior criminal record into account, one in which he was convicted of simple assault after a confrontation with his brother, James, in Bell Acres in 2002.

In addition to seven years and three months in federal prison, McVerry ordered Throckmorton to five years' supervised release. He recommended Throckmorton be placed in a facility as close to Beaver County as possible, but where Throckmorton could receive the best medical care would take precedence.


Newshawk: SX420 - 420 Magazine
Source: Times Online
Pubdate: 08-15-2006
Author: Bill Vidonic
Copyright: 2006 Beaver County Times Allegheny Times
Contact: bvidonic@timesonline.com
Website: Beaver County Times Allegheny Times - News - Top Stories

 

[GanjaG]

Once agian a shame on the good old USA. I think drug laws need to change because it is like this. You go out and beat someone up or rape them even murder them, it was your choice to hurt them. You should be punished by the law. Now you go sell or distrubute drugs, who ever is buying or taking the drugs is possibly hurting themselves, true but they have made the decision to purchase or take these drugs. I have been responsible for myself since I was 16 I don't blame my decisions or actions on anyone but myself. How could a drug dealer be responsible for everyone elses thoughts or actions? The dealer is just providing a service to thoughs who make their own decisions. That is freedom, to be resposnsible for yourself and to be able to do what you want to your own body and property while respecting the space belonging to others.

 

[420AM&PM]

What bullshit .... All of us 420Timers need to raise enough money to get our awesome news hawks/moderaters on tv ... Get the word out, i bet if more us citizens would here about how these suffering people are getting jail time just for wanting to smoke weed, for the short time they have .... There might be change!

 

[newgrowguy]

Everyone is understandably upset about injustices like the above case. Nonetheless, I'll bet big cash that few if ANYONE on this site or others actually has sat down with a pen and paper(much more effective than email or phone calls) and written their representatives to voice their outrage. I'll bet most don't even know who their State and Federal representatives are. Hand written letters are actually very effective in creating change. What is the point of getting the word out? Obviously it is the wish that someone else will write a letter. The problem with stoners is that they bitch alot but do very little. Ask yourself, in terms of recently failed intitiatives, propositions, propsed laws, etc., did you write even one letter? Don't get me wrong, it's pretty human to just passively wish and whine. It just doesn't get anything done. Nuff said.

 

[Stankybudda]

New grow guy, I'm sorry to say that as much as you would love hand written letters to change things, they haven’t. You don’t think that in the 70yrs of prohibition there haven’t been countless letters written? Come on now! The only way to stop this fucking shit is to go after the BIG BUISNESS. TOBACCO AND PHARMOSITCAL companies run this country. They pay to keep marijuana illegal and pay greatly! They way I see it is the green paper will out weigh the white any day of the week. Sad how capitalism works I know, so your freedom is riding on the back of the dollar bill. What we need is for cultivators, dealers, and smokers to donate more money to programs such as NORML who already have there foot in the door. Think about it, which could be millions of dollars easily. So please don’t bash stoners man, we already get enough of that from the rest of the country.

Keep it green, keep the peace
One love
StankyB

 

[Stoner4Life]

Thats damn near a death sentence for him. I feel badly for him and his wife, they'll both suffer healthwise. At his age mercy would've been true justice. He should've known better too though, that much weight over state lines is more than a personal use issue. The feds have dished out a cruel punishment here. My fear of losing my freedom, property, and other rights keeps me a medicinal user only. Afraid even to grow my own..........

 

[newgrowguy]

Stanky,

Actually, I'll bet very few letters have been written. I don't disagree that big business goes to great lengths to affect laws in this country. But look at tabacco. While still legal, and though they have a huge lobby, the grass roots movements are what has marginalized tobacco profiteering in this country. If Big Tabacco had its way, there would still be smokin in bars, restaurants, etc. Take a bigger example, the Vietnam war, albeit an old reference. The military industrial complex sure as hell wanted that war to continue, but it was people in the streets who stopped it. Look at MADD, one woman started it. Talk about influencing the country! I'm glad you mentioned Norml, as I am a member. Wanna know what the leaders of Norml are always begging and imploring members to do? Write letters!

I truly am not saying any of this to bash people, just to confront the tempting illusion that if somebody ELSE would just do something all this would change. You have a lot more power than you think but YOU hafta act!

 

[liveyou9876]

marijuana prohibition = corruption. so you can go ahead and say that the #1 thing you hate more is marijuana prohibition instead of making it #2, you dig ?

 

[liveyou9876]

oh yeah i bet mexico isnt having any problems with their legality on ALL drugs, USA needs to recognize and just stop fucking around i mean seriously people just play stupid, they all know why marijuana is illegal. i dont even have to say it

 

[Sad Panda99]

One thing that us college students can do to stop the injustice is to join or start a chapter of Students for Sensible Drug policy. Visit www.SSDP.org to check it out. I'm starting a chapter at my university in the fall. SSDP is great for changing school drug policies and is working hard on changing the government policies. An even easier thing you can do is go to www.ssdp.org/ads/ and click on the Contact congress link. If you smoke pot for any reason you should be doing something to make changes, even if they're small ones. love to all of ya

 

[420AM&PM]

oh yeah i bet mexico isnt having any problems with their legality on ALL drugs, USA needs to recognize and just stop fucking around i mean seriously people just play stupid, they all know why marijuana is illegal. i dont even have to say it

Everyone ... atleast not us,thinks they know why its illegal, but they have no idea .....