On Wednesday, February 13, 2019, a Llano County jury returned a verdict of life in prison for a Kingsland man, Thomas Preston Davis, 35, for possession of approximately one ounce of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Judge Evan Stubbs sentenced Davis in accordance with the jury’s verdict following a three day jury trial that began on Monday, February 11, 2019. District Attorney Sonny McAfee along with Assistant District Attorney Ivan LePendu prosecuted the case against Davis. Lampasas attorney Zach Morris represented Davis.
Davis’ case began with an arrest on November 18, 2017 when he was arrested by Llano County Deputies for traffic offenses after law enforcement officers received information concerning Davis’ drug activities. In a subsequent search, Davis was found to be possessing approximately an ounce of methamphetamine in two separate packages hidden in the front of his pants. Three days after that arrest, on November 21, 2017, Davis was also alleged to have delivered almost three quarters of an ounce of meth in two separate transactions. On Tuesday, the jury deliberated about 2 hours before returning a guilty verdict for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to deliver in an amount greater than or equal to four grams but less than 200 grams. The punishment phase of the trial began on Wednesday morning and was completed by early Wednesday afternoon.
During the punishment phase of trial, the evidence showed that Davis had previously been convicted of conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine in Virginia in federal court and was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison plus 5 years of supervised release in that case. Davis was unsuccessful in his supervised release and returned to federal prison in Texas in October 2015. Davis was also arrested for evading arrest and possession of methamphetamine in the Buchanan Dam area in 2018 while his other drug cases were pending. Additional evidence produced at trial showed Davis attacked another inmate in the Llano County Jail while both were awaiting trial.
Based on Davis’ previous prison sentence and the quantity of meth possessed, the range of punishment for Davis’ offense was a minimum of 15 years with a maximum of 99 years or life, and a potential fine not to exceed $10,000. During closing arguments, Davis’ attorney asked the jury to consider a sentence twice as long as Davis’ previous prison stay so Davis could have a chance to make better decisions in the future when he got out. District Attorney McAfee argued that Davis had plenty of opportunity to make better choices in his life and Davis’ history showed he was not going to stop violating the law. The jury was out a little less than an hour and a half before returning the verdict of life in prison.
McAfee said he was thankful for the hard work of the jury and the strong message this verdict sent throughout the community. McAfee said, “The jurors carefully listened to the testimony and considered all of the evidence in both the guilt and punishment phases of trial. They showed great commitment to this community by holding this defendant accountable for spreading poison in the form of methamphetamine throughout this area. I am very pleased with the result of the jury’s work, and the efforts of law enforcement in bringing this defendant to justice.”
According to current Texas law, Davis will not be eligible for parole until his calendar time (actual time spent in prison) combined with time awarded for good conduct equals one quarter of his sentence or 15 years, whichever is less.