Lancaster man gets four years for trafficking Ecstasy

 LANCASTER -- A Lancaster man was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to trafficking Ecstasy.

Timothy M. Corbett, 24, said in court Monday he was ashamed of his addiction to drugs and would use his sentence to better his life.

"I understand that I've made horrible choices in my life; that I couldn't reach out to my loving family to ask for help," he said.

Corbett's former home -- 212 Adams St. -- was searched by narcotics detectives with the Fairfield-Hocking Major Crimes Unit in early October. They believe he was moving thousands of doses of Ecstasy through the area at a time. One dose of the drug, which is a stimulant, normally is sold for about $15.

He was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs and one count of aggravated possession of drugs, all second-degree felonies, a week later.

Corbett asked Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Berens to sentence him to a state hospital so he could receive help for his drug addictions. As part of his mandatory prison term, Berens did recommend Corbett get a mental health evaluation.

He also must forfeit a 1991 Eagle Talon, pay a $1,500 fine and will have a four-year driver's license suspension. He may face additional prison time in Virginia for a prior conviction that had five years suspended, said his attorney, Andrew Sanderson.

"You've stood up and taken accountability and responsibility for what you've done," Berens said. "I respect the fact -- at least today -- that you've taken responsibility for your actions."

At the time of his arrest, Corbett was in his first year of college for computer programming. He wanted to buy a house, he said.

Corbett's mother, Nancy Warner, said she was shocked to learn her son was labeled a major drug dealer.

"He was not a big drug dealer -- he had nothing; all he had was a drug-addicted life," she said. "(He) was selling drugs to provide his own habits. ... He had no Mercedes; no fine jewelry hanging off him. Drug dealers have these things.

"I'm very saddened by the fact that he was addicted to Ecstasy. I'm very saddened that he would sell it to other human beings."