A married couple in their 60s are facing eight years in prison after both pleaded guilty Friday to two identical counts of distribution of meth and distribution of heroin.
Co-defendants Sherri L. Clark, 62, and Lyndel R. Clark, 65, admitted involvement in two separate and distinct drug deals from their home on County Road H.
Deputy District Attorney Sheena Goldsborough said both co-defendants were present for a Feb. 22 sale of 13 grams of meth and a March 27 sale of 11.3 grams of heroin.
Both sales were made to a confidential informant, and both counts are Class 2 drug felonies.
The plea agreement stipulates the Clarks will serve eight years each with the Colorado Department of Corrections, followed by five years of probation and two years of parole, which will run concurrently.
Twenty-second Judicial District Judge Todd Plewe said Friday that if either co-defendant violates probation after getting out of prison, they could end up serving another eight years in prison.
In October, Plewe ruled that the Clarks would be tried together as co-defendants. At that point, it appeared the cases were heading to trial. The Clarks had pleaded not guilty to eight felony counts.
They will be sentenced March 19.
At the end of Friday’s hearing, defense attorney Rae Randolph, for Sherri Clark, asked Plewe if the co-defendants could write letters to one another, adding that the married couple has not been permitted to communicate for months.
Plewe said as long as they are both in custody at Montezuma County Detention Center, it’s up to the sheriff, but he guessed that Sheriff Steve Nowlin would oppose the request for security reasons. After the Clarks are transferred to DOC, and at different facilities, Plewe said the state probably would allow some communication.
The Clarks were arrested in May 2018. According to a press release from the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, local law enforcement and the Southwest Drug Task Force investigated the Clarks for several months, suspecting that they were involved with a large-scale drug trafficking operation.
sdolan@the-journal.com