Polk County Criminal
District Attorney’s Office
Phone: 936-327-6868
Fax:936-327-6875
Press Release
A
major Corrigan cocaine dealer was removed from circulation on April 7, 2010
when a jury sentenced him to life in prison.
Lawrence William Franklin, 52, was found guilty of five separate charges
resulting from covert purchases from his residence in April and May, 2009.
A
confidential informant purchased drugs from the residence at 407 MLK on April
21, April 29 and May 4, 2009. A search warrant was then procured and
cocaine having a street value of approximately $12,000.00 was recovered from
the trunk of a vehicle on the property.
Also recovered from the trunk was the currency used in the purchase of
May 4, 2009. Almost one-half pound of
marijuana was additionally seized.
Franklin
later gave a statement to Polk County
narcotics lieutenant, Andy Lowrie admitting his major role in the distribution
of cocaine to other dealers in the Polk County area and detailing the
involvement of Claudia Criswell (his girlfriend), Loquetira Potts (his
daughter) and a friend, David Hulett.
A
Polk County grand jury indicted Franklin on three felony charges of Possession of a Controlled
Substance with Intent to Deliver, one charge of felony Possession of Marijuana
and one felony charge of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. Potts and
Criswell were also indicted for actually delivering the drugs on April 21 and
29, respectively. Hulett was indicted on
two charges. Another individual whose
charges are still pending was indicted.
Franklin
has an extensive criminal history, including four charges for which he received
prison sentences. In 1980 Franklin was
sentenced to 12 years in the penitentiary for a murder charge in Harris
County. Existing reports indicate that
he shot a woman in the back of the head in a dispute over twenty dollars.
Further,
Franklin was arrested in a series of drug charges in 1995 and 1996 in Polk and
Angelina Counties. These cases resulted
in a five year prison sentence as well as another five year sentence in federal
court for using a firearm during the drug transactions.
Because
of his previous convictions Franklin was facing a minimum of 25 years in prison
on four of the charges as a habitual offender, and two to twenty years on the
marijuana possession. A jury was selected in these cases on April 5, 2010 in
Judge Elizabeth Coker’s 258th District Court and trial commenced on
April 6. Security was high in the
courtroom because of previous physical and vocal outbursts by Franklin at
pretrial appearances. However, the
defendant was outfitted under his clothing with a remotely controlled electric shock belt that delivers a charge
similar to a “tazer” gun. Franklin
presented no overt behavioral problems during the trial. He did not testify and
did not call any witnesses in his defense.
At
the conclusion of the evidence the trial jury deliberated for approximately
thirty minutes before finding Franklin guilty on all charges. A short punishment hearing was held at which
the State presented evidence of the previous convictions. The jury returned sentences of 50 years, 80
years and 80 years on the charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver. A life sentence was pronounced on the charge
of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity.
Franklin was sentenced to the maximum twenty years in prison on the
marijuana case. The sentences will be
served concurrently. Franklin will be
eligible for parole after serving fifteen years. Eligibility does not insure that parole will
be granted.
The
charges were prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney, Joe Martin who
expressed gratitude to the jury for what
he called a “courageous sentence.” Said
Martin, “We asked the jury to do the job the community expected of them and
they did exactly that. I believe the
jury saw we were dealing with a man who made his living by exploiting the weakness
and misery of others. Based on his past
there was no reason to expect him to change.
Prior to Franklin’s arrest law enforcement received a multitude of pleas
from the community concerning his activities.
We have answered those requests. A serious threat has been removed. Hopefully,
the prison system will keep him in residence for the balance of his
life.”
Martin
also voiced his admiration for the hard work of the Sheriff’s Office Narcotics
Division saying, “Unless you’ve been involved in this business you just cannot
understand the magnitude of the work that goes into making a case like
this. We have some very dedicated
officers here in Polk County and I am extremely proud of the job done by
narcotics officers Andy Lowrie, Howard Smith and Randy Turner.”
In a
separate incident, also from April, 2009,
Franklin was indicted on a charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm
for an episode in Corrigan during which he allegedly shot at two Angelina
County drug figures. Martin stated that due to the life sentence these charges
will be dismissed.
After
remaining in jail from May until December, 2009 Potts and Criswell pled guilty
and were placed on ten years probation.
Hulett also pled guilty and was placed on probation. He currently
remains in a lock-down drug rehabilitation facility.
