St. Clair man sentenced to 22 years for drug charges

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? A St. Clair man described by Hawkins County authorities as one of the area’s most prolific dealers was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in selling a wide variety of drugs.

Gary Lynn Helton, 36, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on charges from a Sept. 26 raid on his home yielding drugs estimated to be worth about $35,000.

Sheriff Warren Rimer said the stash included 5 ounces of methamphetamine, worth $14,000; 1.5 ounces of cocaine; a half ounce of psychedelic mushrooms; and bags containing an assortment of prescription and illegal pills ranging from Ecstacy to Valium.

Authorities said they were most concerned about 60 ounces of GHB, or Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, commonly known as “the date rape drug.”

“Some of the narcotics seized, like the GHB and the ecstasy, are not drugs commonly found in our county, and we definitely don’t want to see them take a foothold here,” Assistant Attorney General Doug Godbee said Monday.

At the time of the September raid, Helton was already free on bond for drug charges related to a raid on his home last December. A jury found him guilty of those charges and ordered him to pay a $210,000 pending a prison sentence.

Hamblen County Circuit Judge James Beckner, who also handles cases for surrounding counties, sentenced Helton on Friday, with 10 years for last December’s charges and 12 for the recent charges. The sentences will run consecutively.