GOSHEN – A 32-year-old Monticello man pled guilty before Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown on Monday to charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a weapon.
Sequan Lewis had pled guilty during a felony jury trial that had begun on February 9.
Under the agreement, Lewis will be sentenced to a total of 15 years in state prison when sentenced in March.
At trial, prosecutors argued that on September 4, 2020, police officers from the City of Middletown, the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement and Narcotics Team, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, were conducting surveillance on a suspected narcotics dealer when they saw a car containing Lewis pull up to where the target of their investigation was parked.
The police officers observed Lewis enter that person’s car and then return to the car in which he had arrived.
Middletown and URGENT officers followed the car with Lewis in it, which eventually stopped in the City of Middletown. Police approached the car and recovered a loaded .22 caliber pistol.
Lewis ran away, inadvertently leaving one of his shoes behind. Police arrested Lewis and recovered the shoe, which contained 6.5 grams of cocaine.
At the time he pled guilty., Lewis admitted possessing the gun and narcotics, which he intended to sell.
Lewis has two prior violent felony convictions and provides that he will be sentenced to 15 years in prison and three years of post-released supervision and a concurrent sentence of three and one-half to seven years in state prison on the charge of weapon possession.
“We have seen time and time again that illegal guns are invariably around those who deal in illegal narcotics,” said District Attorney David Hoovler. “I hope that this 15-year state prison sentence will deter others who might be tempted to follow this defendant’s example. Life is too precious to waste in state prison because you cannot stay a away from guns and drugs.”
