14 YEARS PRISON IN HEROIN PLEA
14 YEARS PRISON IN HEROIN PLEA
Vaughn A. Thomas Jr. age 21, of Washington Township pleaded guilty on Monday, March 27th to second-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute and second-degree possession of a firearm by a convicted person. As a result of plea negotiations, Senior Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz will recommend that Thomas be sentenced to 14 years in New Jersey state prison on the narcotics charge, with a stipulation that he must serve 58 months of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. On the weapons offense, the recommended concurrent sentence will be five years in New Jersey state prison. Thomas must serve the entire term before becoming eligible for parole.
Because Thomas had a prior narcotics conviction, he is to be sentenced on the second-degree heroin plea as a first degree offender, in the 10 to 20 year range. Superior Court Judge Robert P. Becker scheduled sentencing for 6/2/17. Following an investigation by the Washington Township Police Department that began in July 2015, Thomas was arrested 4/24/16 in possession of more than one-half ounce of heroin. In a court-authorized search of his residence, two loaded handguns were found in his bedroom. He has been in jail since his arrest.