GREENFIELD — A man convicted of dealing methamphetamine told a judge at his sentencing that maybe he can get the help he needs now that he’s going to prison.
Sam Wesley, 27, Greenfield, was sentenced to six years in prison during a hearing Thursday, Jan. 23, in Hancock County Circuit Court. He pleaded guilty to a Level 4 felony charge of dealing methamphetamine.
Wesley admitted to Judge Scott Sirk that he has a drug problem and had tried recovery programs in the past. But they didn’t work, and he usually dropped out after a few weeks.
Wesley started smoking marijuana when he was 16, he said, and his addictions spread to other drugs.
“I’ve had a drug addiction problem for eight to 10 years now,” Wesley said.
Wesley admitted his troubles were his own fault. He said he never really tried to change his life.
Sirk told him that if he continued to live that way, he was going to kill himself.
“Life is intended to be a great gift, and for you to choose to use your life in this way is a great loss to you and this entire community,” Sirk said. “You need to be the great gift you were meant to be, and if you can’t do it for yourself, do it for your daughter and others.”
Deputy prosecutor David Thornburg noted Wesley had been given chances to change his behavior in the past. Wesley, however, had violated probation and has multiple drug offenses.
Wesley said he planned to take part in recovery programs while in prison.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a confidential informant working with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department purchased between one and five grams of methamphetamine from Wesley in a period from April to June 2018.
Wesley has already been in jail for 378 days waiting for his case to be resolved, and he will get credit for that time served. However, he will still spend multiple years in prison, Thornburg said.
