DARE OFFICER SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR DRUG DEALS

FLORENCE - A former Timmonsville Police lieutenant who once led the department's anti-drug program was sentenced Tuesday to almost 13-1/2 years in prison for providing protection for illegal drug deals in exchange for cash.

"I guess I did it because of the lack of money, but that's not an excuse," Jimmy Lee Hampton said in federal court, occasionally choking on tears.

"I know that, and I realize that when we make choices like that, there are consequences that we have to deal with," he said. "I just ask you to have mercy on me."

U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Michael Duffy allowed Hampton to address the court before sentencing him on charges of attempting to possess and distribute cocaine.

After hearing from Hampton and several members of his community, the judge agreed to the sentence suggested by the government - but not without harsh words.

"On the day of your arrest when they pulled those $100 bills out of your pocket, your Timmonsville Police badge was right there with them," Duffy said. "You sold that police badge for those $100 bills, and it was a sorry exchange.

Hampton once headed the department's drug abuse resistance education program, known as DARE.

"You had everything, but unfortunately you decided to forfeit all of it for some quick cash, and in doing so you not only disappointed your family and fellow police officers, you also disappointed every young child in that community who looked up to you, who needed you and who believed you when you talked to them about the dangers of drugs," the judge said.

"You had the chance to make a positive difference in many, many lives and you threw it away."

Surrounded by friends, family members and former law enforcement colleagues, Hampton tearfully admitted that he made "a terrible mistake" in April 1999 when he agreed to provide protection for illegal drug deals in exchange for cash and attributed his bad judgment to financial problems.

Hampton could have received up to 20 years in jail but was given a more lenient sentence as part of a plea agreement he accepted earlier this year after his nephew, Levester "Solo" McKithen, was found guilty of distribution of cocaine.

McKithen also was sentenced Tuesday and received the same punishment as Hampton.

Both men were arrested on drug charges as the result of a joint investigation by federal, state and county agents which culminated April 14, 1999 in an undercover sting in the parking lot of a motel near Interstate 95 and U.S. Highway 52 in Florence County.

The sting was set up after several months of surveillance operations in which Hampton was recorded discussing providing protection for the safe passage of illegal drugs on the interstate.

During the final sting, Hampton was seen checking the area for the presence of law enforcement, then giving a signal to let his partners know the area was clear. Agents watched as Hampton accepted thousands of dollars for his services and moved in to make the arrest.

Hampton is scheduled to begin his sentence in 60 days and will remain out of jail on bond until then.