Man takes six-year deal to end cocaine-trafficking case; 38-year-old woman faces up to 55 years in meth-trafficking case | Crime & Courts

Circuit Court Judge Richard “Ric” Howard extended the offer to Hayward during a chambers conference with attorneys prior to Monday’s hearing, according to Assistant State Attorney Nicole Morris.

Hayward could have been sentenced to up to life for the felony had a jury convicted him at his scheduled trial this week.

Prior to signing off on Hayward’s plea, Howard made note of Hayward’s lack of prior arrests.

“You were caught … but I don’t see this as your future,” the judge told Hayward, who was then handcuffed by a bailiff. “You’re going to go to prison, but you’re not going to go there forever.”

Hayward hugged his mother and other supporters, who wept as Hayward was escorted out of the courtroom.

“Be strong,” Hayward told them.

A Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputy pulled Hayward over in the afternoon of June 5 for running a stop sign at a Crystal River-area intersection. 

Police could reportedly smell marijuana coming from Hayward’s vehicle, spotted a .38-caliber Ruger pistol with an extended magazine and discovered $4,200 in cash on the backseat, Hayward’s arrest report shows.

There was also cocaine on the driver’s seat, and Hayward admitted to “doing a bump” prior to the traffic stop. Deputies detained Hayward and found 75 grams of cocaine inside his pants during a pat-down search, according to the arrest report.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF DEALING IN METH, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TO STAND TRIAL

Kristy Marie Richard will stand trial Tuesday for trafficking 36 grams of methamphetamine and dealing in various prescription drugs, including fentanyl.

If convicted as charged on her six felonies — which include possessing morphine, tramadol, lorazepam, buprenorphine and fentanyl — 38-year-old Richard could be sentenced to up to 55 years in prison, including a mandatory-minimum sentence of seven years. 

Prosecutors filed a notice Monday to have Howard designate Richard as a habitual felony offender. If granted, that status would allow Howard to sentence her up to life for trafficking in meth.

Part of Richard’s Monday court appearance included a motion that sought to limit the amount of evidence CCSO recovered from Richard’s phone during its July drug raid of Richard’s Beverly Hills home. Howard said he needed more time before making a ruling.

At her hearing, Richard told Howard she was innocent, adding that she only sold drugs to people so she could support her own habit.

“If I wasn’t innocent I wouldn’t be here,” she said in tears. “I’m a crackhead, yes, but I wasn’t selling drugs … I hooked them up.”