Drug dealer asks for treatment, gets 10 years in prison

Convicted felon was no-show at first sentencing hearing

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A Kitsap County man who was stopped for speeding on Highway 104 and found with hundreds of fentanyl pills as well as 52 grams of methamphetamine and 40 grams of heroin in his possession was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.

Richard Leonard Purves, 45, of Port Orchard was convicted in August but failed to show up for his sentencing hearing in October.

During an appearance Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court, Samuel Feinson, Purves’ attorney, asked that he be given a Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative, which would have reduced his prison term.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Chris Ashcraft, however, noted that Purves had six prior offenses.

“He has been continuing to sell drugs in large quantities for five or six years now,” Ashcraft added.

Purves was pulled over by a county sheriff’s deputy who was patrolling Highway 104 near Highway 19 in November 2020.

Purves was stopped after the BMW he was driving was seen going 75 mph in a 60-mph zone and crossing the center line.

A search of the BMW found 52.70 grams methamphetamine, 40.37 grams of heroin, 219 fentanyl pills that were stamped to resemble Oxycontin, and $4,860 in cash.

Ashcraft told Superior Court Judge Keith Harper that Purves was a danger to the community, especially considering that he had been found with a large quantity of fentanyl, which Ashcraft said was responsible for a number of overdoses in the community.

“He’s dealing drugs that kill people and he’s dealing them in large quantities,” Ashcraft said.

Ashcraft asked the judge to sentence Purves to 120 months in prison, which was at the top of the sentencing range of 60 to 120 months.

Feinson noted Purves’ long history of substance abuse and asked that his sentencing included a reduced term and treatment.

Purves has been using alcohol since he was 5, and cocaine on a regular basis since he was 17. Feinson also said Purves had a daily heroin habit of a half-gram to one gram for the past eight or nine years.

“This is a man in addiction who is selling drugs to afford a habit,” Feinson said, adding that his addiction had prevented him from getting a job and had disrupted his prior gainful employment.

Purves apologized for not showing up at his sentencing hearing.

“I’m sorry I missed my court date,” Purves told the judge.

“I totally spaced out the date,” he said.

The judge reminded Purves that a warrant had to be issued for his arrest.

“You didn’t turn yourself in; you had to be arrested,” Harper said.

It was also noted that Purves in the past had expressed no interest in getting treatment for substance abuse.

Harper noted that in an assessment Purves had completed, he has said “I don’t work but I make money.”

“It’s pretty obvious how you make money and it’s pretty obvious how that’s going to continue,” Harper said.

Ordering treatment would be a waste of time, the judge said.

“You didn’t space out on the date,” Harper said. “What you’re sorry for is that you got caught.”

After Purves’ sentencing, authorities noted that the amount of drugs found in his possession was equal to more than 200 doses of heroin and 150 doses of methamphetamine.

“This was a result of great law enforcement work by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office,” Prosecutor Attorney James Kennedy said afterward.

“Drugs continue to ravage this community, with fentanyl in particular being a leading cause of overdose deaths,” Kennedy added. “Had this traffic stop occurred today no further investigation would have likely occurred due to the de facto legalization of controlled substances by our State Supreme Court and Legislature.”