APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS SHAW MAN'S DRUG CONVICTION

The Mississippi Court of Appeals today upheld the 60-year with no
parole sentence of a man convicted in Madison County of possession
with intent to distribute marijuana.

Keith Baskin, 33, of Shaw was convicted by a Madison County jury in
March 2006 and sentenced in May by Circuit Judge Samac Richardson.

Baskin was sentenced as a habitual offender after it was determined
he had two previous criminal convictions. The indictment was amended
after his conviction on the marijuana charge to reflect he was a
habitual offender.

On Jan. 2, 2004, Baskin was the front-seat passenger in a car when
the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol attempted a traffic stop. The
patrolman saw Baskin throw a package out the window. That package was
retrieved by authorities and found to be about a pound of marijuana.

In his appeal, Baskin argued the state failed to prove he had an
intent to distribute a control substance. Also, he said his
constitutional rights were violated because the sentence was grossly
disproportionate to the offense.