Another Crooked Democrat "Cops a Plea"

[Old Fart]

10/17/06


Peeples receives suspended sentence

PUNTA GORDA -- Vernon Peeples Jr. apologized in court Monday for bringing shame to his family's name after being arrested twice on drug charges.
Peeples, a former local Democratic Party chairman, pleaded no contest to charges of possession of cocaine, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
Circuit Judge Michael McHugh accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Peeples to a suspended term of one year in prison. He will not serve any time in jail as long as he successfully completes six months of drug offender community control, or house arrest, and then two years of drug offender probation.
The charges stem from arrests in December 2004 and September 2005 when the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office SWAT team raided his home.
"I think it was an equitable resolution to the case," said Assistant State Attorney Don Mason. "The court also took into consideration Mr. Peeples has no prior convictions at all."
A SWAT team raided Peeples' Gilchrist Avenue home on Dec. 30, 2004. Police found 10.9 pounds of marijuana, most of it packed into two black suitcases in a bedroom, authorities said.
Investigators also uncovered cocaine and drug paraphernalia, along with $3,000 cash, according to reports.
Peeples' co-defendant, Elizabeth Picerno, 42, pleaded no contest in July to the same drug charges and was placed on six months of community control and two years of drug offender probation.
On Sept. 1, 2005, the SWAT team raided the house again and found Peeples and Picerno in the master bedroom with two small chrome vials containing cocaine and another small vial containing marijuana.
Peeples made a formal statement in court, apologizing for his actions and the shame it brought to his family's name.
Peeples has been involved in the Charlotte County Democratic Party for years. His father, Vernon Peeples Sr., served 10 years in the Florida House of Representatives.
You can e-mail Alyssa Schnugg at schnugg@sun-herald.com.

By ALYSSA SCHNUGG Staff Writer

By copping a plea, he won't serve a day (the way any other drug dealer would)
DJH

[KBay84]

Who was that "mayor" in DC? Oh, yeah......Marion Barry. He got nailed for coke or something, and the stoopid MF's voted him in AGAIN! Guess he was their kinda guy....

Today, Barry serves on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward Eight, which comprises Anacostia and Congress Heights. He is also serving three years probation for misdemeanor charges of failing to pay federal and local taxes, and continues to receive drug counseling after testing positive for cocaine and marijuana in October 2005.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Barry

[EdNigma]

ppffsstt.
-OEM-

[Snowden]

Is this making a splash in the news? Or is it one of those back page items?

[Old Fart]

Originally Posted by Snowden

Is this making a splash in the news? Or is it one of those back page items?

It made the LOCAL papers. I haven't seen a thing about it in the national news.
DJH

[Caldric]

nevermind

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by Old Fart

It made the LOCAL papers. I haven't seen a thing about it in the national news.
DJH

This is the only place I've seen it, Dennis.