The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

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June 23, 2009

Drug deal earns man prison term

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL

DANVILLE — A Hoopeston man accused of selling drugs to another person must serve time in prison after his buyer died.

Thomas Dalton, 22, initially was taken into custody on a charge of drug-induced homicide and delivery of a controlled substance in connection with the June 13, 2007, death of John Morgenroth of Hoopeston. The homicide charge was later dropped to await information in the investigation and never refiled in the case.

Instead, Dalton pleaded guilty on May 4 to a lesser charge of delivery of a controlled substance. The felony count was reduced from a Class 1 to a Class 2 charge.

Appearing in court Tuesday, Dalton was sentenced by Judge Craig DeArmond to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on the drug charge. The sentence is the maximum Dalton could have received under the terms of the plea agreement reached with prosecutors.

Dalton received credit for 120 days he served in the Public Safety Building jail prior to his sentencing.

Morgenroth’s mother testified at the hearing as part of the morning court proceedings, becoming emotional as she spoke to the court.

Hoopeston police testified that Dalton, after first denying accusations, admitted he sold a number of tablets of morphine to Morgenroth on June 12, 2007. Witnesses saw Morgenroth take the tablets.

Morgenroth, 18, was found dead at the Morgenroth home in the 300 block of East Washington Street the morning of June 13, 2007. Toxicology tests from Morgenroth showed he had more than a gram of morphine in his system at the time of his death.

Tests also showed traces of Xanax and anxiety drugs such as valium in his system.

Without a plea agreement, Dalton faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison for the crime.

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