BULLHEAD CITY — Self-medication with illegal drugs to cope with the death of his child was in focus during a December 2 sentencing hearing in a Bullhead City drug case. Tyler Sada, 29, possessed 59 grams of methamphetamine when arrested following a Department of Public Safety traffic stop in Bullhead City on September 16.
Sada pleaded guilty to a charge reduced to attempted transportation of dangerous drugs for sale.
Defense attorney Gregory Pridham told Mohave County Superior Court judge Megan McCoy that Sada turned to drugs when mourning his loss, leading to substance abuse and addiction related criminal activity. Pridham asked that his client be given a chance to turn his life around on probation.
Deputy Mohave County attorney Carlos Lopez urged the Court to impose a prison term of at least two years, given the more than two ounces of meth involved in the case.
McCoy sided with the defense, placing Sada on probation for five years. She also ordered a 78 day jail sentence, crediting him with that many days spent in custody with no further jail time imposed.
Noting his loss as a father, McCoy guided, consoled and encouraged the defendant.
“You are not the only person who has coped with tragedy in life,” the judge said, urging him to grieve more constructively. “You can dedicate every sober day in your life to that child.”
