Recordpub.com - Prison for couple who sold Oxycontin Ravenna Twp. man gets 8 years, wife sentenced to 5

By Marci Piltz
Record-Courier staff writer
A Ravenna Township couple was sentenced to prison Friday on charges of selling the powerful painkiller Oxycontin.
Carlos Brown, 77, of 4712 Hayes Road, was sentenced to 10 years in prison while his wife, Brenda, 54, received a five-year prison sentence. Both were sentenced in Portage County Common Pleas Court by Judge Laurie Pittman.
Prior to sentencing, both Carlos and Brenda Brown apologized to the court and their families for their actions.
"To my grandchildren that have now lost their home, I apologize. To my daughters, the trouble and embarrassment this has caused ... and to Brenda, who has been a loyal companion. We've been together for 31 years, and I'm truly sorry for getting you involved in this situation," Carlos Brown said.
He then appealed to the judge on behalf of his wife and himself.
"Your Honor, Brenda and me are not bad people. We just made bad choices," he said.
He explained that a car accident led to his being prescribed Oxycontin, and the drug soon turned into an addiction for him.
"My habit was costing me $3,600 a month. I found out I could buy them wholesale and made the wrong choice again when I began selling them to pay for my habit," he said. "I tried to quit, but they were controlling my life."
Both of the Browns were arrested following a raid on their Hayes Road home in July by the Portage County Drug Task Force. Indictments totaling almost 70 pages on each were filed the same month charging them with selling the drug from their home between May 1 and July 16.
Carlos Brown received the following sentences, all to run consecutively, from Pittman: A three-year mandatory sentence on one count of aggravated drug possession, a first-degree felony; two years each on three counts of aggravated drug trafficking, all third-degree felonies; and one year on a fifth-degree felony charge of permitting drug abuse.
His wife received a five-year prison term consisting of the following sentences: A three-year mandatory sentence on one count of aggravated drug possession; two years each on two counts of aggravated trafficking; and one year on permitting drug abuse. Pittman ordered Brenda Brown's two-year and one-year sentences to run concurrent to each other but consecutive to the three-year sentence for a total prison term of five years.
Both Carlos and Brenda Brown pleaded guilty Oct. 29 to several felony counts related to the sale and possession of the powerful painkiller.
As part of their plea and sentencing, the Browns also were ordered to forfeit their Hayes Road home as well as all electronics, vehicles, tools, machinery and weapons that had been found there. They also were ordered to forfeit more than $90,000 cash that was recovered from the home. The couple was permitted to keep two rental properties they own as well as personal effects such as clothing and jewelry.
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E-mail: mpiltz@recordpub.com
Phone: (330) 296-9657

13.	Posted by s.swenson December 23, 2007
	nikiloo: I'm sorry somebody messed in your wheaties today. You don't have to read these posts if they are not in your liking. I miss Knotts Landing, but Desperate Housewives is close. Sorry don't watch court tv, there is enough legal action to watch right here in Portage. I've never said I lead some perfect life, you imply until I've been in someone else's shoes?? Well I won't be in a drug dealers shoes, nor will I find myself wearing a scram bracelet upon my person. Maybe you missed the part where these posts are designed for opinions.... I try to identify the difference between my opinions and things I know as fact. Reading comprehension should identify the difference between the two for you. Yes I think I do recall discussing the scram issue with you. (The alcohol monitoring system). Weren't you the one crying victim due to your fiance having to pay for one and not being able to socially drink while having it on? I may be way off base, just trying some recall. Go give my man a big kiss? I must have missed some innuendo there. Regardless hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.

12.	Posted by ceejay December 23, 2007
	Hey nikiloo, I guess your just down on Ohio gal foe her posts, but LOL, you are doing the same thing! I know the Browns, and justice WAS NOT SERVED, they both should have gotten the MAX sentence, especially Brenda, they both helped destroy Brenda's own daughters life, then would not even try to help her when she needed it most, and believe me Brenda was in on it the whole time, and Carlos was a drug dealer when they got married and she knew it, they just got away with it for over 30 years, and he was busted before, but the court documents don't go back that far, and Brenda took Carlos's side over her own family because she liked the rewards of all that dirty drug money, like playing the big rich B., and she lies so good, she and him are professional liars, I have know them both for 40 years, its always been about the money to them, and the IRS did bust him before they were married and she knew all of his dirty secrets before she married him, and still married a man older than her own father because she was after the money! Carlos has daughters older than Brenda and they were not even treated right by him, so blah, blah, blah, I have no mercy on them- THEY BOTH should have gotten the MAX, and lost it all! But like I said before, now it the time for the parents of the victims to come forward and sue them, and maybe they can own the rental houses and help their loved ones get the help they need, because they helped destroy so many lives!!!!

9.	Posted by nikiloo December 23, 2007
	Gee Ohio Gal, you certainly like to comment here alot. i mean this is a forum for opinions but I think you are addicted. You have responded to me before on the scram issue and I'd like to say that until you;ve been in someone else's shoes then you don't really don't know. I think you enjoy this whole fiasco because no one else will take the time to listen to you, I'm sorry, you take on the persona that your s*** dont stink...funny i bet you have lots of skeletons in your closet and please do you have nothing better to do than to sit by your computer and aggrivate people...go give your man a big kiss.

8.	Posted by pchillbilly December 22, 2007
	Hey Granny - Give it a rest. Q: Why didn't anyone turn them in? A: Because those with the MOST intimate knowledge were the purchasers. But obviously someone DID give some info to the task force, because I'm sure they didn't pick that name and address out of the phone book and think, "let's go screw with those old folks..." Q: Why didn't anything happen to them before this? A: Because the liberals have championed the cause of the defendant, making it increasingly difficult for law enforcement to do its job. Quit trying to shift blame to someone else (another liberal tactic - its always someone else's fault). "Wah, wah, wah... no one gave them the help they needed..." Take responsibilty for your actions, take responsibilty for your family's actions, and the world would be a better place. Don't rely on the village to raise your child.

7.	Posted by s.swenson December 22, 2007
	Granny: Did you also notice that the guy in Brimfield and his girlfriend were also blessed with my opinions. I didn't know them either and felt the punishment given to her was unfair considering her lengthy record. I'm opposed to drugs, and I'm more opposed to children being raised in a drug infested home. So I'm not being biased in picking on the Browns you'll see my opinions wherever a drug bust occurs because I have zero tolerance. I don't need to know people personally to have an opinion and by the way if you live in Portage County and you venture out at all everyone knows someone who knows someone or everyone it's not like this is a big metropolitan area or something.

6.	Posted by s.swenson December 22, 2007
	Hey Granny: If your younger (I'm not young, but not old) and have lived around these parts you can't be oblivious to what went on. It's common knowledge that on many occasions they were being watched. These charges only covered that period of time. I never meant to say that he wasn't in an accident. What I was implying is hire a forensic accountant, take into consideration his retirement (or legal) income and back into their true assets that they should retain. Just because I don't live near them it's not like Ravenna is that large and acquaintenances of mine don't live in the surrounding area. They were the ones speaking of helicopters. Again I'll state I don't' know them. I have a sibling who is deceased due to drugs so I'm all to aware of what the addiction does to people. I also have friends that have children addicted to drugs and these children have stated taking stolen items to their home and trading them for drugs. Hey maybe I'm wrong, maybe there were no stolen items there. Just My frustration is rooted in the dirty money and children being raised in a home where guns, surveillance equipment, methodone, marijuana and oxicotin as well as many other things are present. People on drugs are crazy and those children's lives were endangered. My sibling bought drugs from those people back in the late 90's and I know of many people who had the knowledge that drugs were sold from there. Don't worry I did my civic duty. It's a known fact that many trips were made there by the local drug agents and such but they were tipped off on many occasions, but luckily the last time they were outwitted, that's when I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I don't know them personally as I've said and don't care too but anyone who is involved with drugs and dirty money should be penalized under the maximum penalties under the law.