GOSHEN – A Newburgh man faces 27 ½ to 31 years in state prison in March when sentenced for possessing two kilos of cocaine and for perjury.
Sherlan Simpson, 37, was convicted after a jury trial in Orange County Court on Monday of two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and perjury after the jury deliberated for about 20 minutes, said District Attorney David Hoovler.
“He had a staggering amount of cocaine and then when he was arrested, he lied about certain things and was also convicted of perjury,” the DA said.
As alleged at trial, on January 6, 2023, Simpson was stopped for a vehicle and traffic violation in the vicinity of Route 32 in the Town of Woodbury.
State troopers spotted a backpack in the back seat of his car.
Simpson fled the traffic stop in his vehicle racing into the Woodbury Common parking lot where surveillance video showed a backpack being thrown from the car.
Troopers recovered it with his personal belongings as well as the cocaine.
Hoovler said when evidence in the case was presented to the grand jury five days later, Simpson elected to testify on his own behalf and after taking the oath to tell the truth, denied that he ever had a backpack in the car or threw it out the window.
He believes the drugs were headed to Newburgh.
