BY TIMOTHY LAROCHE
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CLAREMONT — A Claremont man who was arrested for selling crack cocaine last year has been sentenced to at least two years in prison, with a potential for 15 more.
Christopher Wilson, 35, pleaded guilty in Sullivan County Superior Court on Monday to two counts of sale of crack cocaine and one count of conspiracy to sell crack cocaine. Judge Brian Tucker sentenced him to serve two to seven years in New Hampshire State Prison with another five- to 10-year sentence suspended on the condition of good behavior.
“These are dangerous drugs that pose a significant risk to the community,” Sullivan County Assistant Attorney Justin Hersh said during Wilson’s sentencing.
The charges stem from Wilson’s Dec. 7 arrest after he sold crack cocaine to an informant working with the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force. Jade Wilson, his wife, was also arrested for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine after helping her husband in the drug deals. She was sentenced to one year in the Sullivan County House of Corrections last month.
On Oct. 10, an informant reported to police that Wilson offered to sell four crack rocks for $200, with a delivery fee of $40.
The informant was fitted with a recording device and met with Wilson the following day at 73 Pleasant St. in Claremont. The informant later returned to police with three cellophane bags filled with crack cocaine.
Again, on Nov. 1, the informant contacted investigators about Wilson offering to sell six crack rocks for $300, with a $40 delivery fee. The following day, investigators fitted the informant with another recording device for another meeting at 73 Pleasant St. The informant returned to investigators this time with two bags filled with crack cocaine.
The parking lot where Wilson and the informant met is less than 1,000 feet from Stevens High School, meaning that the sales were conducted within a school zone.
Following his arrest, Wilson was arraigned on Dec. 8 and released on $3,000 personal recognizance bail. During the hearing, prosecutors argued that bail should be posted in cash, citing Wilson’s criminal history — including three prior drug convictions.
On Jan. 26, however, prosecutors motioned to revoke his bail entirely after he tested positive for drugs. The motion was denied in Sullivan County Superior Court on Feb. 6. While he remained free on bail, Wilson failed to report to pretrial services on Feb. 11, March 1, 10, 16, and 25.
He also tested positive for cocaine, marijuana, methadone, and methamphetamine on Feb. 16, 24 and March 14.
Wilson declined to pay fees associated with his electronic monitoring between Dec. 11 and March 27.
“This defendant has continued to violate certain conditions of his release,” court documents state. “This defendant’s unwillingness to bring himself into compliance with his conditions of release, despite having been afforded a previous opportunity to avoid revocation of his bail, establishes this defendant continues to be a danger to himself, the community and is further ‘unlikely to abide by any … conditions of release’ moving forward.”
After agreeing to enter a guilty plea in exchange for prosecutors to bring lesser charges, dropping clauses regarding Wilson’s sale of drugs within a school zone, Wilson failed to appear for his April 13 sentencing.
He was arrested shortly afterwards and held at the Sullivan County House of Corrections until his sentencing on Monday.
Wilson’s term in state prison began immediately following his sentencing hearing. His request for three days release before his sentence commenced were denied after prosecutors argued that it was likely he would fail to appear.
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