GOLDEN VALLEY – An inmate accused of selling drugs while serving time in the state prison in Golden Valley who rejected a five year plea offer to resolve his case was instead given 18 more years in prison during a Monday hearing in Kingman. Donnie Twiggs, 59, was sentenced by Judge Billy Sipe.
Twiggs is serving a 7.25 year sentence for Maricopa County drug convictions and he was set to be released from custody next July. Judge Sipe’s order, however, means that Twiggs will remain behind bars until 2038.
Prosecutor Kellen Marlow said a detention officer confiscated about one gram of the synthetic drug called “Spice” that Twiggs possessed in March, 2018. Possession of papers used to package the drug for distribution led a trial jury to convict Twiggs on August 19 of possession of dangerous drugs for sale, promoting prison contraband and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Twiggs told Judge Sipe that he was tainted and prejudiced at trial because his status as an inmate was disclosed to the jury. Defense attorney Scott Ruffner argued that prison officials should have handled the matter internally given the “miniscule” amount of drugs involved.
Marlow and Judge Sipe countered that corrections officers have a difficult job as it is and that the internal drug trade increases danger for inmates and staff alike within prison facilities. The stiff sentence imposed by Sipe was a byproduct of four prior felony convictions for Twiggs and the jury determination that an interest in pecuniary gain motivated his drug sale activity.
