Local man gets 15 years in prison for cocaine, weapons charges

A local man indicted on seven counts of drug and firearms related charges in December 2008 will serve 15 years in federal prison.

Myleke Deon Clark was formally sentenced by U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar in London last week. Though he faced numerous charges, prosecutors agreed to drop most of them in exchange for a guilty plea. Thapar sentenced him on the remaining charges of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
A federal grand jury accused Clark of distributing cocaine in Whitley County numerous times between May 2007 and Dec. 12 2008.

Clark was convicted of a felony in Campbell County, Tenn. for aggravated robbery on March 5,1993. He was also convicted of robbery in the second-degree in Laurel County in 2001.

A trial over the charges was delayed numerous times. Clark finally pleaded guilty last July.

As part of the agreement, Clark was forced to surrender $5,000 suspected to be the proceeds of drug sales, along with a pistol, a revolver, two rifles and some ammunition.

Authorities initially became interested in Clark when a confidential informed them cocaine could be purchased from him and his brother. Kentucky State Police used informants to purchase cocaine from Clark on several occasions before he was arrested.
Clark will have to undergo a period of supervised release when he is released from prison.

Thapar also ordered that Clark be housed in a facility that could help treat some special medical issues he has.