LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – Branding it a “fairly close call,” Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle opted for probation rather than prison in a Lake Havasu City drug case.
Defense attorney Greg Pridham said Steven Swaim, 68, had never before been in trouble with the law. He said that Swaim is gainfully employed and that the support of his boss, family and friends are other factors in support of probation.
Pridham said Swaim has been off drugs, but remains an addict who needs and wants to be involved in a treatment program.
Lake Havasu police seized 15 grams of cocaine from his vehicle following a May 20 traffic stop. Another 125 grams of the drug were found during a subsequent search of Swaim’s home in the 4100 block of Calimesa Drive.
In addition to more than quarter-pound of cocaine, officers confiscated three firearms, psilocybin mushrooms and paraphernalia consistent with drug sales.
“I’m sorry that I got caught up (in this),” Swaim told the court. “It won’t happen again.”
Judge Carlisle said little, though he noted the defendant possessed a significant quantity of drugs. He placed Swaim on probation for seven years and ordered him to spend 270 days in the Adult Detention Facility.
