Penticton man sentenced to 11 months in jail on drug charges

PENTICTON – A Penticton man has a little more than eight months left to serve in prison after being sentenced on drug charges in court today.

Scott Casselman, 45, was sentenced in Penticton court today, Aug. 2, on two provincial charges for possession and breach, and a Supreme Court indictment for drug trafficking.

Crown prosecutor Norm Yates told court Casselman was in downtown Penticton on Jan. 28, 2018, when he was spotted by plainclothes police officers, who arrested him on an outstanding warrant. He was taken to Penticton detachment where a search revealed drugs, 7.5 grams of MDMA and .05 grams of cocaine along with $460 cash, cell phone and a machete-type knife.

The circumstances of Casselman’s trafficking charge was not reviewed in court today.

Casselman was found guilty of unlawful possession of MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine and LSD in a previous decision.

Yates told court Casselman’s limited record included two prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance.

He asked Judge Robert Cullen for a sentence of 45 to 60 days for the provincial charges, and 10 to 12 months on the trafficking charges.

Defence lawyer James Pennington said his client had been struggling with substance abuse issues for many years. He was also recently involved in a couple of motor vehicle collisions in which he suffered some serious injuries.

“He has a long history of drug use. He has sold drugs, but not for profit, simply to get money to buy more drugs,” Pennington told the court.

He asked the judge to consider a sentence of six to nine months on the charges, less the credit for enhanced time served of 80 days.

Judge Cullen handed down a sentence of 60 days on the two provincial charges of possession, and a total of nine months for trafficking in four controlled substances.

Casselman has eight months and 10 days remaining to serve behind bars.

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