Montville Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Sell

George Kinney, 28, of Uncasville, appeared in New London Superior Court today to plead guilty to possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Kinney was arrested on Feb. 12, 2010, after police found six pounds of marijuana, plus plastic bags and scales, during a search of his home at 19 Jerome Road.

Kinney’s attorney had initially argued that the search, which was conducted without a warrant, was illegal because Kinney’s tenant Harry White did not have authority to allow police to search the entire house. The bulk of the marijuana was found in the attic. Because Kinney had partial custody of an infant, police also charged him with risk of injury to a minor.  

If convicted of the drug charges, Kinney would have faced a maximum sentence of seven years. Kinney opted to plead guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence of four years, suspended after 13 months, to be followed by three years of probation. Since his arrest, Kinney has completed a drug counseling program and has continued to test negative for drugs.

New London Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford approved the plea agreement and set July 27 as the date for the presentencing report. Kinney still faces additional charges that Clifford noted are not included in the plea agreement because they are, “domestic in nature."