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ELKINS -- A Randolph County man has been sentenced to 10 years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.
Randy Junior Snelson, 49, of Huttonsville, was sentenced last week by Randolph County Circuit Court Judge David Wilmoth to two sentences of not less than two, no more than to 30 years of incarceration for two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, a felony. The sentences will run consecutively.
Wilmoth suspended the first sentence for five years of supervised probation with the requirement that Snelson successfully complete his time at Recovery Point, a men’s sober living facility. Wilmoth also suspended the second sentence for another five years of supervised probation. Wilmoth stated that, if Snelson were to violate his probation, he would be looking at no less than four, no more than 60 years of incarceration.
On April 1, Snelson entered into a plea agreement, pleading guilty to the two counts of delivery of a controlled substance. He was initially indicted in October by a Randolph County grand jury on four counts of delivery of a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy, both felonies.
Snelson was represented by attorney Brent Easton. The state was represented by Assistant Randolph County Prosecutor Richard Shryock.
At the hearing’s start, Easton asked the court to suspend any sentence Snelson receives for probation. Easton stated that Snelson’s life has been a revolving door of drugs and the court system, and while Easton admitted that Snelson “never really tried to take it seriously or get it under control, he explained that this particular case changed that.
Easton explained that Snelson has been at Recovery Point in Bluefield since March 16. Easton argued that Snelson had made a point to change his life, and said part of his sentence should include allowing him to successfully finish his time at Recovery Point.
In an emotional address to the court, Snelson stated that his time in Recovery Point has “severely” changed his life. He thanked Wilmoth and the courts for allowing him to attend the program, explaining that the facility’s structure was “no joke.”
As per the plea agreement, Shryock did not make a recommendation for sentencing on behalf of the state.
Wilmoth, as he sentenced Snelson, stated that it seems Snelson has taken his addiction to heart and has begun working on himself. The judge noted that he wanted to give Snelson a chance to demonstrate he has changed his life.