By By Lisa Tindell – news editor
More than 100 potential jurors waited more than two hours Monday to find out whether they would serve in a case to be presented against Carey Michael “Mike” Haveard.
But none was seated after Haveard reached a plea agreement with officials in the Escambia County District Attorney's office just before 3 p.m. Monday.
Haveard, 54, was arrested in March as the result of a grand jury indictment. He was charged with distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal solicitation to commit theft of property.
In the plea agreement, Haveard plead guilty to the theft and distribution charges. Other charges of possession were dismissed as part of the agreement.
Stearns and Kirkland are both assistant district attorneys. District Attorney Steve Billy could not be reached for comment.
Brewton Police Chief Monte McGougin said the outcome was warranted and was the result of many hours of hard work by agents investigating the cases against Haveard.
Haveard was sentenced immediately after both defense and prosecuting attorneys signed the agreement and began serving the sentence handed down by Rice Monday afternoon.
Haveard was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was ordered to pay up to $250,000 in restitution to businesses involved in the theft case. He was also ordered to pay court costs, $100 to the Forensic Sciences fund and a $1,000 fee in a Drug Demand Reduction assessment.
On distribution charges, Haveard was sentenced to two 20-year terms with fines of $30,000 in each case. In addition to fines, Haveard is also required to pay court costs, $100 to the Forensic Sciences fund and a $1,000 fee in a Drug Demand Reduction Assessment.
The prison terms are to be served concurrently which means Haveard will serve only up to 20 years in prison.
Haveard was remanded to the custody of the Escambia County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Grover Smith said Haveard would remain in the county jail until he is processed into the prison system.
Haveard's attorney, Jerome Carter of the Cochran Law Firm of Mobile, said Haveard made the decision to enter a guilty plea saying it was in “his best interest.”
Carter also said Haveard expressed there were some mistruths in some of the allegations made against him by witnesses for the state.
Although Haveard made a guilty plea in the cases against him, Carter said he was confident he could have been successful in defending his client.
Original charges against Haveard handed down by the grand jury included four counts of unlawfully selling, furnishing, giving away, manufacturing, delivering or distributing to a confidential informant, a controlled substance, namely Oxycodone, commonly known as OxyContin; three counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, namely OxyContin; and four counts of first degree criminal solicitation to commit theft of property. The theft charges stemmed from testimony to the grand jury that Haveard supplied various individuals with funds to open checking accounts and negotiating checks for the purchase of lumber, tools and/or miscellaneous building supplies.