A Lansford man was denied his appeals by the state Superior Court from being found guilty of selling drugs and a state prison sentence.
Roland Martin Horsford, 31, of 305 E. Abbott St., was adjudged guilty by Judge John E. Domalakes of two counts of delivery of a controlled substance in Tamaqua in September 2009 following a non-jury trial held in December 2010. He was sentenced to serve two to five years in a state correctional facility. The prosecutor was Tamaqua Sgt. Richard Weaver.
In his appeal to overthrow the sentence Horsford raised the claim that the court erred in not granting him a mistrial because Weaver testified his street name was "Doe" claiming street names are directly linked with gangs such as Crips and Bloods. He claimed the court erred in failing to allow Weaver to answer questions about the confidential informant (CI) used in the case.
In denying the appeal and affirming the sentence the higher court ruled, "We conclude that there has been no error in this case and that the opinion of Judge Domalakes meticulously, thoroughly and accurately disposes of the defendant's issues of appeal and therefore, we affirm the rulings by the trial judge."