Pocomoke Man Sentenced In Federal Drug Distribution Case

BERLIN - A Worcester County man, convicted in federal court in October on four counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, was sentenced this week to 11 and a half years in jail by a U.S. District Court Judge.

A federal jury in late October returned guilty verdicts on all four counts against Curtis Schoolfield, 39, of Pocomoke, also known as 'Smoosh,' after deliberating for under two hours. On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Schoolfield to 138 months followed by eight years of supervised probation.

Schoolfield was one of 49 suspected drug dealers indicted by a Worcester County grand jury in the fall of 2006 after a two-year investigation into drug trafficking from one end of the county to the other carried out by the Worcester County Drug Task Force.

According to testimony at his trial in federal court, Schoolfield, on three separate occasions, sold crack cocaine in the amounts of 16, 13 and 20 grams to a government informant. On one occasion, he sent his mother, Kay Schoolfield, to deliver the crack and collect the money. Kay Schoolfield was also indicted during the massive investigation and her case was forwarded to U.S. District Court, but the charges against her were dismissed last April.

Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd in October 2006 announced during a rare press conference the grand jury had indicted 49 suspects from Berlin to Pocomoke on various drug distribution charges. Of the 49 indicted, 42 were from Pocomoke and seven were from Berlin. Multiple state and local law enforcement agencies executed search and seizure warrants over several days in late September and early October 2006, resulting in over 50 arrests and the confiscation of large volumes of cocaine, crack cocaine and other drugs as well as dozens of weapons.