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St. Pete Couple Sentenced For Selling Tons Of Marijuana

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By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 26, 2008

Updated: 11/26/2008 01:26 pm

TAMPA - A St. Petersburg man was sentenced today to 111 months in prison and his former girlfriend 46 months for selling thousands of pounds of marijuana.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew imposed the prison terms on Keith Pritchett, 29, and Monique Pruitt, 28, both of 4225 Cortez Way S. They both pleaded guilty Aug. 26 to conspiring to possess with the intent of distributing large quantities of marijuana.

Pritchett admitted to distributing between 2,200 and 6,600 pounds of marijuana between 2003 and the time he was arrested Feb. 15.

He was sentenced to 51 months on the conspiracy charges and another five-year mandatory term for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The sentences will be served consecutively. A .357-caliber revolver was found in his car when he was arrested, and agents recovered two assault-type weapons during a search of the house.

Bucklew reduced Pritchett's sentence because he cooperated with authorities. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Perry privately outlined the extent of that cooperation for the judge.

"I don't frankly see a lot admirable about what you've done and who you are other than you've cooperated with the United States of America," the judge said in announcing sentence.

Pritchett had admitted to being part of a distribution network that ferried pot in tractor-trailers from Arizona to St. Petersburg.

Pruitt was also given a reduction for cooperation, but her sentence was increased because Bucklew ruled Pruitt put her 10-year-old son in danger when agents served a search warrant at the home.

Agents said they saw Pruitt hurriedly drag two large duffel bags out of the house and put them in the back of an SUV parked in the driveway and that her son was sitting on top of the bags.

Brian Zdrojwski, a federal drug enforcement agent, testified today that Pruitt refused to stop when he approached her with his gun drawn. He said she continued to enter the SUV and refused to get out. When he opened the door, the agent said, Pruitt dropped to the ground and tried to crawl under the vehicle.

Perry said Pruitt was putting her son at risk by failing to obey the officers.

Timothy James Fitzgerald, Pruitt's attorney, said the child was never at a sufficient risk of being hurt to warrant an increased sentence.

"The prosecution would have you believe they feared these highly trained agents would turn into Barney Fife," he said.

Pruitt, her mother and her employers begged for leniency,

"I apologize for any role I had in any of this," she told the judge. "I plead I get another chance. I deserve that."

But Bucklew said Pruitt had to take responsibility and stop blaming Pritchett for getting her into trouble.

"It is not like someone made her store that marijuana at her house," the judge said. "She's a big person, and she can make her own decisions.''

Authorities found three more duffels full of pot in the master bedroom. The total amount discovered at the house was 185 pounds. They also found a loaded pistol on a nightstand.

Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698.

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