Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
FRANKLIN RAYMOND and his attorney, James Bucknell, appear in Gogebic County Circuit Court Tuesday for a plea hearing. Raymond pleaded guilty to two meth charges.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Bessemer - An Ironwood Township man pleaded guilty to two drug charges in Gogebic County Circuit Court Tuesday.
Franklin Leroy Raymond III, 40, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and possession of meth as part of a plea agreement. The charges carry a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and/or $25,000 in fines and 10 years in prison and/or $15,000 in fines respectively.
The deal calls for three other charges against Franklin - two additional counts of possession with the intent to deliver and one count of maintaining a drug house. The drug house charge is a high court misdemeanor, with a potential sentence of two years in prison and/or $25,000.
The charges stem from incidents on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, when Raymond testified he sold meth to someone but kept some of the meth in his possession.
He told Gogebic County Circuit Judge Michael Pope that he wasn't sure of the amounts of meth as he had been using the drug.
Raymond's plea agreement also reduced his habitual offender-third offense notice to a second offense notice. The designation, which Raymond said stems from a 2004 conviction in Gogebic County for a marijuana charge, increases his potential maximum sentence.
