Glassboro man Gets 14 Yrs for Cocaine,Weapons Convictions

PRESS RELEASE
July 25, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO

Marcus L. Coley (DOB 6/17/73) of the Gateway Apartments, Glassboro was sentenced today to an extended term of 14 years in New Jersey state prison following his June 17 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in a Glassboro school zone and possession of hollow-point bullets.

Although the cocaine conviction was a second-degree crime, Coley was sentenced as a first-degree offender because of three prior felonies- two for drug-dealing- since 1995. Since then, “the defendant has essentially lived his life in the criminal justice system,” said Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Alex Gutierrez, who presented the State’s case in Coley’s trial.

In addition to 13 years for the guilty verdict on drugs, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson sentenced Coley to 364 days for possession of the prohibited bullets, which she noted was a “separate and distinct offense.” Coley is ineligible for parole for the first six years of his sentence.

Judge Allen-Jackson said her sentence took into account Coley’s tearful plea today to consider that he has four small children and suffers from heart disease that he believes will shorten his life.

The charges resulted from execution of a search warrant at Coley’s home April 16, 2009 in which a half-ounce of crack cocaine and seven hollow-point bullets were seized. The home is near the J. Harvey Rogers elementary school.

“This sentence will help keep the neighborhood around this elementary school safe, thanks to the efforts of law enforcement,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.