TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Judge Calls Drug Suspect 'Liar' Before Sending Him To Prison

ADVERTISEMENT

By TODD LESKANIC

tleskanic@tampatrib.com

Published: December 4, 2008

DADE CITY - Timothy Webb's ongoing assertion that he didn't want to purchase 2 kilos of cocaine was turned aside again today, this time by a judge.

On Tuesday, a jury took just 45 minutes to find Webb guilty of drug trafficking despite his argument that an informant forced him into the drug deal.

Today, Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa dismissed the notion of entrapment and sentenced the 48-year-old Webb to 15 years in prison.

"Mr. Webb, you're a liar," Siracusa said. "I don't believe anything you say. You went on record, on video and on audio. It's you making the deal at Chili's and at the motel; you're the one who showed up with $32,000."

Webb and his wife, Carol, left Maine for Zephyrhills in early 2006. The couple and their then-5-year-old son drove down in a travel trailer and set up home at an RV park. They were living on Carol Webb's $175,000 divorce settlement from her ex-husband.

The Webbs had drug habits and their addictions weren't helped when they met next-door neighbor Michael Henning. In the months following their arrival, they shared drugs with Henning many times.

Timothy Webb developed a substantial cocaine habit, using up to three-quarters of an ounce a day.
Henning told Webb he should buy cocaine in bulk to save money. What Webb didn't know was that
Henning also called the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and told investigators his new friend was looking to buy a lot of cocaine.

Detectives arranged a meeting at a Chili's restaurant between Webb and an undercover narcotics officer. Webb and the officer agreed to meet at a Zephyrhills motel on April 19, 2006, to exchange money and drugs.

Investigators used audio and video surveillance to record the meeting. While Webb was inside the hotel room, his wife and child were sitting in the travel trailer in the parking lot.

"The money you squandered on drugs could have bought that child a future," Siracusa told Webb.
Investigators found thousands in cash, drugs and paraphernalia inside the Webbs' travel trailer.

Carol Webb, 51, pleaded to a lesser charge last year and was sentenced to six months in the Pasco County Jail.

Henning died of a drug overdose in October 2006.

At trial, Webb said Henning forced him into the deal by telling him that the dealer would harm his family if he backed out.

Webb's criminal history didn't help his credibility. He spent time in a New Jersey prison for heroin possession and was arrested for drug trafficking in Maine in 2005, Assistant State Attorney Michael Mervine said.

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT