THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010480
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
An ice cream man charged with selling drugs, as well as frozen treats, from his truck was sentenced Thursday to serve 2 1/2 years in jail.
Willie B. Branch Jr., 45, was found guilty earlier this year of possession of drugs with intent to distribute near school property and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. He was given the jail time for the first charge and a five-year suspended sentence for the second.
Branch was also found guilty of two misdemeanors - selling untaxed cigarettes and not possessing a peddler's license - and fined $100.
Branch was arrested in March in the 2900 block of Kimball Terrace by two bicycle officers when they noticed a 16-year-old boy rolling a marijuana cigarette near his truck.
When they asked the teen where he got the drugs, he pointed to the Branch's white ice cream truck, still making its rounds. A sign on the side of the truck read: ``Your Neighborhood Door Store.''
Police said they seized eight ounces of marijuana.
KEYWORDS: DRUG ARREST TRIAL SENTENCING by CNB