Judge hands down sentence in federal crack cocaine case

Published 12:00 am Thursday, February 21, 2008

THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL

Eddie Alonzo Miliam of Atlanta will spend 65 months in a federal prison for his part in a plan to sell crack cocaine in Selma and Dallas County.

Miliam was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade in Mobile. He&8217;ll also serve five years supervised release after his prison time is up and pay a $100 special assessment fee.

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Miliam pleaded guilty last year to planning to sell 220 grams of crack cocaine and 150 grams cocaine powder with co-defendants Buster Petaway and Felix Ellis, both of Orrville.

Petaway and Ellis have pleaded guilty to related federal charges.

During his plea, Miliam said he had rented a Dodge Charger in June 2006 and was traveling through White Hall, heading west to Dallas County when Capt. Wilbert Barnfield pulled the vehicle over. Petaway was driving and had a revoked license and an outstanding warrant in Georgia.

The officer had everyone get out of the car, including Miliam. Barnfield saw a brown bag on the floor, containing the crack and cocaine powder. Miliam grabbed the bag and ran across the road, where a car hit him. Miliam got up and ran into the woods.

Another individual, known only as &8220;Ant,&8221; drove off in the car, leaving Petaway in custody of Barnfield. Petaway told officers about the plan to sell the cocaine in Dallas county.

According to federal court records, Petaway, Ellis and Miliam planned the distribution of the cocaine three or four weeks earlier when Petaway returned home from College Park in Atlanta for a family funeral in Greenville.

Petaway was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison earlier this year

and Ellis was sentenced to 24 months in prison.

Nobody was fined in the case.