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Jury convicts West Tisbury man of multiple drug, gun offenses
October 27, 2005
By Ezra Blair
A Superior Court jury convicted Brian Frost, 27, of West Tisbury of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and possession of an illegal firearm. The verdict on October 20 followed three days of testimony.
Due to Mr. Frost's prior drug convictions, Judge Thomas Connolly held a trial by judge following the verdict and convicted Mr. Frost of receiving a second and subsequent conviction of trafficking cocaine and being an armed career criminal.
A sentencing hearing for Mr. Frost will be held today. Due to the nature of the charges, he faces jail time in a state prison.
Mr. Frost has been arrested on the Island on drug charges numerous times over the past several years. Most recently, in February Mr. Frost was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine (more than 200 grams), trafficking heroin (more than 14 grams), and conspiracy to violate drug laws. That arrest came while he was free on $42,000 bail for other drug related arrests.
In November of last year, Mr. Frost was arrested after officers with the Martha's Vineyard Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at his home and in his car in West Tisbury. According to police, they found 11 grams of cocaine and three grams of heroin in the glove box of the car. A police K-9 unit also uncovered drugs and drug paraphernalia in the house, including a small amount of marijuana, a digital scale with white residue on it, several baggies filled with pills, and $9,000 in cash.
Police also found a 9mm Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun, fully loaded with a 10-round magazine, hidden in a secret compartment next to Mr. Frost's bed.
Prior to his arrest in November, Mr. Frost was indicted on charges stemming from his arrest in August 2003. In that incident, Oak Bluffs police arrested Mr. Frost after they pulled him over for driving with a suspended license and discovered 60 grams of crack cocaine and 25 tablets of the prescription painkiller OxyContin in the car.
Among this other drug-related charges on the Island, in October 2003, following a drug task force investigation, police officers executed a search warrant in Vineyard Haven and arrested four people, including Mr. Frost, when they found one pound of marijuana, a small amount of cocaine, a fully loaded .357 caliber revolver and a fully loaded .22 caliber revolver. Mr. Frost was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, two counts of illegal possession of a handgun, and illegal possession of ammunition.
Earlier this week, Lt. Timothy Williamson of the Oak Bluffs police called Mr. Frost's conviction a significant victory.
"We were just so pleased when the verdict came down," said Lieutenant Williamson. "He will be sentenced on Thursday, and we are anticipating that he is not going to be a problem around here for a long time."
Lieutenant Williamson commended the work of detective Nick Curelli of the Oak Bluffs police department, who headed the investigation of Mr. Frost. "He really took the lead with this case, and he did an excellent job." He also commended Laura Marshard, Cape and Islands assistant district attorney, who prosecuted the case, and the jurors who sat on case.
Lieutenant Williamson said that he hopes Mr. Frost's conviction will set an example for future drug offenders on the Island. "I hope other drug dealers are taking notes on this one," he said. "This is what they have to look forward to."
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