| 114th Year, 1st Issue | Thursday, August 15, 2002 | Sparta, North Carolina |
A Laurel Springs man received a jail sentence of about three years Monday for trafficking in cocaine.
According to court records, John Paul Caudill, 28, of Elk Knob Road in Laurel Springs pleaded guilty to seven counts of trafficking in cocaine, as well as one count each of possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, maintaining a vehicle for the sale of cocaine and manufacturing cocaine.
Caudill was arrested March 7 and charged for trafficking cocaine in Ashe and Surry as well as Alleghany County. The arrest, which Alleghany County Sheriff Mike Caudill described as the biggest cocaine bust ever here, netted 426 grams of cocaine and about one pound of marijuana. John Caudill was later granted a change of venue to be tried on all the charges in Alleghany County Criminal Superior Court this week.
Judge Michael E. Helms sentenced Caudill to one active jail term of 35 to 42 months, with credit for time served.
In addition, Helms gave Caudill a 35 to 42 month suspended sentence at the expiration of the active sentence, with three years supervised probation. He also ordered him to complete a drug treatment program and included work release in the judgment.
Caudill was also fined $10,000 and ordered to pay restitution to the three sheriffs' departments: $3,300 to Alleghany, $3,600 to Ashe and $2,300 to Surry.
In her motion for the change of venue, Regina R. Gillespie, Caudill's attorney, stated that Caudill had provided substantial assistance to the Alleghany County sheriff.
Toliver Indicted
Also during superior court Monday, the grand jury issued indictments against Kim Church Toliver on 27 counts of embezzlement. Her trial is scheduled for October.
Toliver and her husband, Loyd Craig Toliver, were each charged in Oct. 2001 with 16 counts of embezzlement in connection with their employment at Grandview Memorial Funeral Home. Loyd Toliver passed away the following month, and the charges against him were abated by the court.
The case against Kim Toliver has been repeatedly postponed on the court calendar, as possible additional charges were expected.
Assistant District Attorney Stacy Adams said Toliver was indicted Monday on the original 16 charges as well as 11 additional counts.
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