Erik Thompson - Maryland

Jurisdiction: Maryland
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine (crack)
Priors: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine in 1986 and 1989 (two 1989 convictions were grouped at sentencing)
Date of birth: 1967
Date of sentencing: 1998

After release from prison in 1990 for selling drugs to support his addiction, Erik lived a productive life and stayed sober for many years. He worked with his father at his hardware store, got married, and had a daughter. As credit card debt mounted and his life became stressful, he resumed bad habits and began using drugs again. Back on the streets, Erik met an old acquaintance who sold drugs in the Baltimore area. For about three months Erik occasionally sold small amounts of drugs for this dealer to sustain his addiction. In October 1997 the dealer asked Erik to help sell 4.5 ounces of crack. The buyer was a confidential source for the DEA and agents arrested Erik and the drug dealer. Later, agents searched the drug dealer’s house and found more cocaine, a gun
and ammunition. Erik went to trial, resulting in a hung jury. He was tried again and lost his second trial.

Erik grew up in a housing project in east Baltimore. His mother relied on public assistance to raise Erik and his three siblings. During his youth, Erik gravitated to the street hustler lifestyle and paid for it by becoming addicted to drugs and going to prison. Erik’s daughter is now 11 years old and lives with her mother in Baltimore. Erik’s family struggles financially and can only afford to visit him two or three times a year. Despite these difficulties, Erik has worked hard to make up for his mistakes by earning his GED and completing a number of classes, receiving a certificate of appreciation for his work as a teacher’s aide in prison. Erik wants to complete addiction counseling, but there is a three-year waiting list for Narcotics Anonymous classes.

What do you think Erik’s sentence should have been?
In Maryland, distribution of cocaine warrants a maximum sentence of 20 years. Because of Erik’s two prior convictions, his sentence was enhanced to a mandatory minimum of 25 years.