RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (AP) - A California man admits he hired a taxi driver to drive him and his concealed stash of more than 100 pounds of marijuana cross-country when they were stopped by a sheriff's deputy in Arkansas last year.
Brandon Coy Hill, 29, of Compton, Calif., pleaded guilty Tuesday in Pope County Circuit Court to possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Under the plea agreement, charges were dropped against the taxi driver Erasmo Amaral, who helped authorities find Hill after Hill fled when the taxi was stopped.
``This is a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,'' Amaral's attorney Jeff Phillips of Russellville said.
According to court records, Hill hired the California cab driver to take him from California to Jackson, Tenn., under the guise of needing to attend a college function. Amaral's lawyer said Amaral was offered more than $2,000 to make the trip.
Twenty hours into the trip, Amaral was stopped Oct. 25, 2003, by Pope County sheriff's Lt. Scott Rentfro on Interstate 40. Rentfro said he was trying to get on I-40, and initially stopped Amaral because the taxi driver would not allow him to merge, staying in the right-hand lane. The officer said he also noticed Amaral was driving slowly and erratically, according to court documents.
When Rentfro stopped the taxi, Amaral gave him consent to search the vehicle, although Hill appeared nervous and fled on foot, according to the police report. Rentfro then discovered 109 pounds of marijuana in Hill's suitcase in the back seat of the cab.
Amaral was arrested. Hill was captured months later after police tracked him down through addresses supplied by Amaral, based on where he had initially picked Hill up.
Amaral said he did not know Hill had the marijuana. His lawyer said it was somewhat common for taxi drivers in California to make lengthy trips for people who need to get someplace in a hurry.
Brandon Coy Hill, 29, of Compton, Calif., pleaded guilty Tuesday in Pope County Circuit Court to possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Under the plea agreement, charges were dropped against the taxi driver Erasmo Amaral, who helped authorities find Hill after Hill fled when the taxi was stopped.
``This is a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,'' Amaral's attorney Jeff Phillips of Russellville said.
According to court records, Hill hired the California cab driver to take him from California to Jackson, Tenn., under the guise of needing to attend a college function. Amaral's lawyer said Amaral was offered more than $2,000 to make the trip.
Twenty hours into the trip, Amaral was stopped Oct. 25, 2003, by Pope County sheriff's Lt. Scott Rentfro on Interstate 40. Rentfro said he was trying to get on I-40, and initially stopped Amaral because the taxi driver would not allow him to merge, staying in the right-hand lane. The officer said he also noticed Amaral was driving slowly and erratically, according to court documents.
When Rentfro stopped the taxi, Amaral gave him consent to search the vehicle, although Hill appeared nervous and fled on foot, according to the police report. Rentfro then discovered 109 pounds of marijuana in Hill's suitcase in the back seat of the cab.
Amaral was arrested. Hill was captured months later after police tracked him down through addresses supplied by Amaral, based on where he had initially picked Hill up.
Amaral said he did not know Hill had the marijuana. His lawyer said it was somewhat common for taxi drivers in California to make lengthy trips for people who need to get someplace in a hurry.
