For Immediate Release                                
December 21, 2011                      
For more information, please contact
Michael Guest at (601) 825-1472

Madison Man Receives a 60-Year Sentence for Selling Crack Cocaine
He was Sentenced as a Subsequent Drug Dealer and a Non-Violent Habitual Offender

Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that Dennis Beal, of Canton, was found guilty following a two day trial for selling cocaine and was sentenced to 60-years in prison, which he will be required to serve every day and without the possibility of parole or early release. He was charged as a non-violent habitual offender and a subsequent drug offender. In addition, upon his release, he will have to pay a $2,000,000.00 fine.

On March 28, 2009, law enforcement agents set-up a drug buy, using a confidential informant, where they provided the informant with the buy money and a hidden camera. Beal met the informant at one location and the informant got into Beal’s car where Beal sold the informant $30 worth of crack cocaine.

Beal was later arrested and released from custody on the sale charge after posting bond. While on bond, Beal made contact with Deputy Tommy Jones of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and offered him money to make the charges go away. Deputy Jones immediately reported this to his supervisor Randy Tucker, and the Sheriff’s Department then began to record phone calls and meetings between Jones and Beal. At the last meeting on February 10, 2010, Beal gave Deputy Jones $5000 in cash. Law enforcement officers then moved in and placed Beal under arrested for bribery.

Guest stated, “We have said many times that we must aggressively prosecute drug dealers and habitual offenders in Madison and Rankin Counties. Beal is both a drug dealer and a habitual offender. My office will continue working with law enforcement to send the message, through long sentences, that when we catch criminals they will go to prison for a very long time.”

Guest concluded, “Just last week, I was joined with the Hinds County District Attorney and the three new metro area Sheriffs to discuss ways we can work together to remove drugs dealers from our streets. Working together, we will have a very strong impact on stopping illegal drug trade. By partnering and combining resources we will be able to identify, arrest, and prosecute drug dealers faster and more efficiently.”

Guest added, “Beal’s lack of respect for the criminal justice system can be seen in his attempt to bribe a Deputy Sherriff in an attempt to keep him from going back to prison. Dennis Beal is an example of a career criminal that will now spend the remainder of his life behind bars because he refuses to obey the law.”

Beal has previously been convicted of robbery, possession of a controlled substance, and bribery.

District Attorney Michael Guest was sworn into office in January 2008 and represents the Twentieth Judicial District, which encompasses Madison and Rankin Counties. For more information about the District Attorney’s office, please visit www.daguest.com.