David Veatch

Sentence: 10 years
Offense: Manufacturing and possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime
Priors: None
Year sentenced: 2002
Age at sentencing: 34
Projected release date: May 31, 2011
 
David was born in Taylor County, Kentucky.  His mother abandoned him when he was only three and lack of money was a constant problem for David and his three brothers. At age 19, David married his first wife and entered the Marine Corps to serve in the first Gulf War.  While David was deployed, his wife divorced him and retained custody of their daughter, Brittany, due to David’s military obligation.  David received an honorable release in 1991 and was granted full custody of his daughter four years later. David became a single father; his ex-wife provided no financial or emotional assistance in childrearing.
 
In 1995, David married Laura. Laura had badly injured her right ankle in a car accident several years prior and the resulting infection forced doctors to amputate her leg.  Despite the high level of toxins in her body and the trauma of surgery, Laura persevered and learned to walk with a prosthetic leg, continuing to work as a registered nurse throughout her ordeal.  Unfortunately in 2000, Laura fell down a flight of stairs and sustained serious injuries to her neck, back and leg.  David worked at a Fruit of the Loom factory at the time and his income alone was not enough to support his family when Laura was unable to return to work.  His solution was to grow marijuana.
 
In the spring of 2000 a coworker gave David marijuana plants to grow.  When they matured, David returned them to his coworker.  Later, the coworker asked David to help him clone mature plants. David also sold quarter to half-pound quantities of marijuana to two individuals four or five times.     
 
In 2001, David’s coworker and his girlfriend were arrested. They implicated David. On March 30, 2001, police searched David’s home and found 696 marijuana plants (200 were discarded due to their immaturity), $1,200 in cash, and two briefcases containing 258 grams of marijuana and a revolver.  David cooperated fully with the police, consenting to the search and leading them to his briefcases and plants. 
 
David contends he was not a major drug trafficker: the marijuana in the briefcase was for his own personal use and he kept the gun in the briefcase to ensure his daughter would not accidently find it.
 
David pled guilty to the charges against him but refused to implicate anyone else.  As a result, he could not attain a lesser sentence for substantial assistance like his coworker and his girlfriend. The total amount of marijuana attributed to David was 69.85 kilograms. With no criminal history, the guidelines range called for a sentence between 30 to 37 months.  However, because David was held accountable for the entire weight of marijuana estimated to have been produced in the conspiracy, he received a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. He also received a consecutive five-year mandatory term for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, leading to a mandatory sentence of ten years. 
 
David’s coworker, who had an extensive criminal history and faced a lengthy sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm, received a 10-year sentence in exchange for his cooperation.  The coworker’s girlfriend, who also kept marijuana plants and guns in her house, received a sentence of five years in prison.  She was released in 2007.
 
David has received outstanding work evaluations in prison and has participated in as many programs as possible.  He’s earned his Commercial Driver’s License and completed classes in Drug Education, Small Business Development, and keyboarding, and is enrolled in Social Behavior and Philosophy.  He has also become a Kentucky Master Gardener. David’s daughter Brittany was raised by Laura until she moved out to work and support herself. David maintains a close relationship with his daughter whom he “loves and misses dearly.” Unfortunately, the stress of incarceration has caused David and Laura to divorce.