Dean Thompson entered a guilty plea to a number of drug-related charges during an appearance in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and was given 20 years in prison with 10 to serve and 10 suspended.
Thompson is serving a drug crime sentence in the federal prison at Forrest City in the eastern part of the state.
The 61-year-old Thompson is charged with a number of counts of selling and possessing substantial amounts of methamphetamine at various times.
In addition, he faces charges of being in possession of paraphernalia commonly used for ingesting drugs or packaging them for sale.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed in late March last year, Thompson was alleged to have been involved in a number of drug sales to confidential informants working with law enforcement. In the affidavit, the details of sales made in January and February of last year are laid out. Some of the sales involving Thompson were made from a building housing American Auto and Diesel located along County Road 27 where Thompson was reported to be employed.
A search warrant was served at American Auto and Diesel on March 21st, 2017. Thompson was not at the shop at the time, but several other people were arrested. According to court records, drugs, drug paraphernalia and cash were seized during the search.
As the warrant at the business was being served, a second one was being executed at the residence of Rebecca Martin, described as Thompson’s “current girlfriend.”
Both Martin and Thompson were found at the residence, along with multiple pre-weighed plastic bags containing methamphetamine and items of drug paraphernalia used in both ingesting the drug and in preparing it for sale.
Martin recently changed her plea to guilty and was sentenced to 20 years probation, and the state was authorized to seize her house located along County Road 30. Martin was accused of maintaining a drug premises at the residence. Investigators allege Martin had been involved in drug-related activity at the residence for nearly two decades.
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