Attorney: Man sold cocaine to cover medical bills

A Petaluma man, arrested late last year with four pounds of cocaine, is unlikely to serve any prison time after pleading no contest to possession of a narcotic, including sentence enhancements and other charges that could have carried as many as eight years in federal prison.

A judge who said she was likely to impose probation in the case drew the ire of Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch, who said it was a “slap on the wrist” for a “major” drug crime.

But the attorney for Scott Paul Goree disputed that his client was a hardened criminal, characterizing him instead as a man who made a serious mistake in a desperate effort to support his family after falling on hard times.

Goree, 66, pleaded no contest to possession of cocaine for sale, possession of hydrocodone and possession of more than 1,000 grams of cocaine in Superior Court on Dec. 19. His plea included admitting enhancements that he possessed more than 28.5 grams of cocaine for sale, which requires a prison sentence unless there is “an unusual case where the interests of justice would be served,” according to a statement released by Ravitch’s office earlier this week

Goree faced five to eight years in state prison and Ravitch’s office “strenuously opposed” the probation, according to the statement.

Following Goree’s plea, Judge Jamie Thistlethwaite, citing his age and lack of a significant criminal history, indicated she would find that unusual circumstances existed and grant Goree probation.

“Scott Goree had nearly two kilos of cocaine - four pounds - with substantial quantities packaged for sales in amounts that showed he was distributing to mid-level and street-level dealers,” Ravitch said in the strongly worded statement. “A probation sentence for this major narcotic distributor is essentially a slap on the wrist, and sends the wrong message to our community, and I believe it is not at all in the interest of justice. The court’s indicated sentence ignores the threat to public safety.”

Local law enforcement officials seemed to agree with the DA’s sentiment and said they could not recall another instance where a person arrested with such a large amount of drugs avoided prison time.

“Without knowing all the facts in this case, I would have to agree with the district attorney that this was a slap on the wrist,” said Petaluma Police Lt. Dan Fish. “Four pounds is a very large amount of drugs.”

But Goree, through his lawyer, has a different story to tell. In an interview on Tuesday, Santa Rosa criminal defense attorney Andy Martinez described a man who, after suffering a life-threatening medical crisis that nearly bankrupted him, thought dealing drugs was the only way he could support his family.

The longtime music promoter, who has been executive director and producer of the Cotati Accordion Festival since 2005, struggled with alcoholism for years, according to Martinez, who said Goree took part in what he termed “intermittent drug dealing after his heart blew out.”

“I mean everybody knows that you don’t go out and deal drugs, but that’s what he did,” Martinez said. “But he did it because he was a desperate man who felt he had no other options.”

After recovering from his heart attack, Goree was broke and could no longer keep up with the demanding pace of his work. Coupled with a slow economy, he could not make ends meet. With two children at home and as the only caretaker for his elderly mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s, Martinez said Goree turned to dealing cocaine as a way to pay his bills.

But Martinez said Goree was never comfortable with what he was doing, convincing himself he would only do it long enough to catch up.

“That is what a lot of people tell themselves. He has told me that (getting caught) was the best thing that happened to him,” Martinez said. “Practically from the moment it happened, he has used it to turn his life completely around.”

Martinez said his client has been willing throughout the process to discuss a plea bargain with Ravitch’s office but none was offered. In Goree’s case, the amount of cocaine by statute added several years to a potential prison term.

When they could not get the DA to discuss a deal, Martinez said his client decided to take his chances with Judge Thistlethwaite, a former defense attorney.

“It’s clear she saw what’s there, a 66-year-old man who wants to go home to take care of his sick mother,” Martinez said. “A man who has clearly gotten his life together.”

But several people familiar with the case said that an investigation by both local and federal law enforcement agencies paints a different picture of Goree. While it’s true that he has no prior criminal history before his arrest last year, they believe he has been dealing drugs out of local bars for years.

“He had never been arrested and he thought he could get away with it,” said one source. “He was flying below the radar for a long time. Somebody just finally flipped on him.”