Gibson, Carlson plead guilty to heroin charges, get jail time
By Steve Myrick
Published: August 6, 2009
Garrett Gibson and Alexander Carlson pleaded guilty to drug charges last week and were sentenced to 18 months in the Dukes County House of Correction. The two Island men were among six arrested in November of 2008, when the Martha's Vineyard Drug Task force executed a search warrant at the Vineyard Haven home of Kenneth Garde. Mr. Gibson was 24 at the time of his arrest, and court records list an address in Oak Bluffs. Mr. Carlson was 22 at the time of his arrest and lived in Edgartown.
According to prosecutors, both Mr. Gibson and Mr. Carlson were present in a bedroom of the Garde home, where police say Kaleb Garde was cutting heroin from large to small quantities with a razor knife. According to court records, police seized 127 grams, or nearly 4.5 ounces, of heroin from the room. They also seized two scales with heroin residue on them, and more than $40,000 in cash.
In a plea agreement accepted by Associate Justice Cornelius J. Moriarty in Dukes County Superior Court, Mr. Gibson and Mr. Carlson admitted their guilt to five identical drug charges. The original charge of heroin trafficking was reduced to a charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin. On that charge, both men were sentenced to 2.5 years in the House of Corrections, with 18 months to be served. On a second charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin, both were sentenced to 2.5 years in the House of Corrections, suspended for four years of probation. The terms of probation include drug treatment and random drug and alcohol testing. A violation of probation could result in their return the House of Correction to serve the full 2.5-year sentence.
Also, Judge Moriarty issued suspended sentences to each of the men on three counts of conspiracy to traffic heroin. A sixth charge of dealing drugs within a school zone was dropped, as part of the plea agreement.
Also last week, an October 13 trial date was set for Kaleb Garde and Rosaline Gaspar, both arrested last November during the drug task force raid. Mr. Garde and Ms. Gaspar were the original targets of the search warrant. Each is under indictment on multiple charges of drug trafficking, possession, and conspiracy. If convicted of the charges, they face a minimum of 10 years in prison.
In court last week, attorneys for Mr. Garde and Ms. Gaspar moved to suppress evidence seized during the search warrant on the Garde home. Judge Moriarty took those motions under advisement.
Two others arrested last November, Hannah Garde and Daniel Garde, still face drug charges in Edgartown District Court.
