Two Carter County men entered guilty pleas on Tuesday to various drug charges in connection with a 2014 drug investigation.
Adam Kennett, 32, 514 Cedar Ave., Elizabethton, and Donovan Turner, 34, of 112 Grant Parlier Road, Elizabethton, appeared in Carter County Criminal Court Tuesday before Judge Lisa Rice to enter their pleas.
Kennett pled guilty to two counts of the sale of Schedule I drugs in a School Zone, one count of the sale of Schedule VI drugs in a School Zone, two counts of the sale of Schedule I drugs, and one count of the sale of Schedule VI drugs. The schedule I drugs Kennett pled guilty to selling are lysergic acid, commonly known by the street name “LSD,” and a potent form of MDMA, also known by the street name of Ecstacy, which is called “Molly.”
Rice gave Kennett an effective sentence of 15 years, which is the mandatory minimum prescribed by state law for drug offenses that occurr in a school zone. The school zone enhancement on some of the charges against Kennett renders him ineligible for parole and he must serve the entire sentence. He must also pay a total of $12,250 in fines and court costs.
Turner pled guilty to possession of Schedule VI drugs for resale, attempted possession of Schedule I drugs for resale, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Schedule I drug involved in Turner’s charge is LSD.
Rice sentenced Turner to serve four years in prison with the TDOC and then serve 8 years of supervised probation through the TDOC’s Board of Probation and Parole. Turner was sentenced as a “Standard” offender under state law, which means he must serve a minimum of 30 percent of his prison term before he is eligible for parole. He must also pay a total of $4,400 in fines and court costs.
The charges against both Kennett and Turner result from a drug investigation conducted by the Elizabethton Police Department’s Vice Unit during November and December 2014.