State
of Florida
Office of the State Attorney
16th Judicial Circuit
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Office of the State Attorney 16th Judicial Circuit
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Criminal Justice System Overview Employment Opportunities |
March 1, 2005 Calling the sale of crack cocaine “a death sentence” for its buyers, acting Circuit Court Judge Wayne Miller today sentenced a Key West man to fifteen years behind bars for that crime. Tauras Terrell Hines, 26, received the maximum allowable punishment for the August 2004 sale of cocaine. He was convicted by a jury on February 17, 2005. “The message of this sentence is loud and clear,” said State Attorney Mark Kohl, “Selling cocaine in Monroe County means arrest, conviction and jail time.” On August 27, 2004, the KWPD Street Crimes Unit wired a “confidential informant” with a microphone and a video camera to uncover “street level narcotic sales.” The informant met Hines at Truman and Emma Streets. Following a brief conversation the two exchanged cash for crack cocaine. KWPD detectives secured both audio and video recordings of the transaction. Hines was identified and arrested by detectives on September 2. For the sale that ultimately cost Hines fifteen years in jail, he made twenty dollars. Hines’ criminal record spans more than a decade with convictions for the sale of cocaine and marijuana, possession of cocaine with intent to sell and tampering with evidence, among other misdemeanors and felonies. He had been out of jail for twenty days when he was rearrested for his most recent crime. Four KWPD detectives testifying at today’s hearing endorsed the maximum sentence for Hines. One called Hines “a thorn in the side of the police department and the community.” Assistant State Attorney J. T. Gorman who prosecuted the case for Kohl’s office praised the KWPD for its “painstaking and precise” detective work. Gorman, who joined Kohl’s office in January, called the sentence “a just response to a lifetime of crime." |
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Last modified:
10/23/07
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