COUNTY JURY GIVE HALL LIFE SENTENCE FOR COCAINE POSSESSION

A Lubbock County jury sentenced a man Thursday evening to life in prison
for possessing about three grams of cocaine.

Earlier Thursday, the same jury found Tommy Lee Hall, 35, of Lubbock guilty
of possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony.

The crime carries a punishment of between two and 10 years in prison. But
because Hall has prior felony convictions, his sentencing range increased
to between 25 and 99 years or life.

"We feel that the life sentence is a very strong message about how Lubbock
County feels about repeat offenders," prosecutor George Leal said.

Lubbock police arrested Hall on Jan. 27 while raiding a house in the 1900
block of Avenue N. Hall did not live at the house and was not the target of
the police investigation, according to court testimony.

Officers found the cocaine in the pocket of a coat inside the house. Hall's
car keys, driver's license and pay check stub were inside the coat,
officers said.

Defense attorney Rick Wardroup contended that the coat and the drugs did
not belong to Hall. Hall's cousin testified that the coat was inside the
house when they arrived.

Hall has a 1990 conviction in Lubbock County for selling drugs, according
to court records. He was convicted in 1983 and 1985 of burglary in Garza
County.

Elizabeth Langton can be contacted at 766-8795 or blangton@lubbockonline.com