The son of General Sessions Judge Bill Locke has been indicted for selling marijuana to undercover agents even as his father’s campaign for the office was in full swing this summer.
The judge’s son, Thomas Dylan Locke, 18, has been indicted on nine counts charging sale, delivery and possession of marijuana. He was named in sealed indictments handed down by the grand jury charging four separate incidents of drug dealing, including four separate instances sale of marijuana and delivery of marijuana along with one count of possession of marijuana.
District Attorney General Lisa Zavogiannis has been relieved of prosecutorial duties in the case of the judge’s son since her office practices in Judge Locke’s court plus, prior to being named General Sessions Judge late last year, Locke worked as an assistant prosecutor under Zavogiannis for several years. Locke was district attorney himself from 1990-98 and has spent most of his legal career as a prosecutor. Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley has also asked to be recused as presiding judge meaning the case will be prosecuted and heard by out-of-town judiciary. Robert Carter of Fayetteville has already been named special prosecutor. Locke’s case has been postponed until Nov. 28 when a new judge will likely be named. Robert Newman is defending Locke.
The charges against the young Locke come after he allegedly made four drug sales to an undercover agent, one of those coming in May and three in June of this year. The teen was reportedly taken in for questioning after making the last drug sale but not charged at the time. Sources close to the investigation say he was stopped almost immediately after making the drug deal and then questioned by narcotics officers.
The drugs he allegedly sold to the agent and drugs reportedly found in his possession when he was detained by lawmen were sent for analysis and the charges held up until the results came back positive for marijuana.
His crimes were reportedly committed during the height of the campaign season as his father was fighting a four-way race to retain the judgeship he had been conferred by the county commission upon the retirement last year of Judge Larry Ross.
According to District Attorney General Lisa Zavogiannis, waiting to charge drug offenders in a sealed indictment once drug analysis is completed, as was done in the case of Locke, is nothing unusual.
“This is something that is commonly done,” Zavogiannis said, noting that while her office was not involved in the case the delay in bringing charges was apparently not a case of playing favorites since the “large majority” of undercover buys are resolved by sealed indictments.
Had he been arrested on the spot of his last drug deal on a warrant, the case would have had to go through his father’s court, meaning a special judge would have had to be named before it could be heard in General Sessions Court. The end result would have been a binding of the case and an indictment, again putting it circuit court here since the felonies could not be settled in sessions court.
The young Locke had just graduated from high school when he was caught selling marijuana to the undercover agent. He played on the basketball and tennis squads for Warren County High School.