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Drug Dealer Gets 20 Years

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By KYLE MARTIN Hernando Today

Published: December 7, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - A man described as a "classic drug dealer" was sentenced to 20 years in prison during court proceedings Thursday.

That's 55 years short of what probation officers recommended and much more than his family expected.

In making his decision, Circuit Court Judge Stephen Rushing began with the facts surrounding 26-year-old Robert Taylor's arrest.

On July 10, Brooksville police stormed Taylor's apartment on Dryden Place and discovered a wealth of drugs and cash tucked in nooks and crannies around the home.

An affidavit says 34 bags of pre-packaged marijuana were lying on the coffee table when police burst in, along with a cooking pot holding 26.6 grams of crack cocaine.
Crack cocaine was the predominant drug found in the house, with more than 400 grams stashed in shoe boxes, tackle boxes and pill bottles. But investigators also said they found two varieties of prescriptions pills and 319 Ecstasy tablets. More than $6,000 in cash was seized, along with a loaded shotgun and two handguns.

As Rushing read the affidavit aloud in court, the amount of drugs caused folks waiting for an appearance to softly chuckle in disbelief.

All of that, combined with a surveillance system in the apartment, led Rushing to call Taylor a "classic drug dealer."

A jury apparently agreed with that assessment and found Taylor guilty last week of trafficking in cocaine and MDMA (Ecstasy), possession of marijuana within 1,000 feet of public housing and possession of Alprazolam and methadone.

It was up to Rushing to sentence him Thursday. Probation officials recommended 75 years.

But before he did, Taylor's mother and grandmother stood before Rushing and pled for leniency. Irene Wells told Rushing she didn't condone her grandson's actions, but she asked for "another chance to help him."

Both expressed their belief that Taylor, who goes by the street name "Bubba Cool," was still a good person at heart and deserved a break. A petition with more than 100 signatures backed up their statements.

Assistant State Attorney Don Barbee asked that Rushing sentence Taylor to at least half of the 75-year recommendation. Taylor, Barbee said, has not made any contribution to society since his last release from prison except for "lots and lots of drugs."

He also questioned the validity of the letters of character provided to the judge and the integrity of the petition. " Just looking at the first page, I see five convicted felons," Barbee said.

Rushing took his time announcing the final sentence and spoke slowly as he did. He began with 15 years for trafficking in cocaine, the minimum sentence required by law.

That was followed by five year sentences for the other charges, which were to run concurrent to each other but consecutive to the 15 years; in essence, 20 years.

Upon Taylor's release from prison at the age of 46, he will be on drug offender probation for the next 10 years, "to make sure he doesn't get back in drugs," Rushing said.

Taylor will keep his credit for a year and two months in jail.

After the sentencing, the friends and family who filled two benches in the courtroom consoled each other.

Jowanne Tarrand called Barbee's attitude in court "cold-hearted." She gave herself as example of how a life can turn around after a brief stay in jail. "I'm a full-time college student and the owner of two businesses," said Tarrand, who thinks Taylor could start over, too.

Taylor was a Robin Hood, of sorts, who used the proceeds of his drug sales to buy gifts for children and help friends with bills, according to Tarrand.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

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