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Guilty plea expected in Salem drug case
BRENTWOOD — A Salem man charged with selling oxycodone and heroin while on probation is expected to plead guilty to his latest round of drug charges, court documents say.
James Monico, 59, is scheduled to face a judge next week in Rockingham County Superior Court for a plea-and-sentencing hearing in connection with three counts of sale of a controlled drug, subsequent offense.
He has been held without bail since his arrest on Dec. 7.
Salem police said Monico was observed making the drug sales as part of an undercover investigation that had been going on for several months.
Monico allegedly sold heroin and oxycodone between Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 to informants working with police, according to court documents.
His arrest happened almost a year after he was charged in another drug case in superior court, according to court documents.
He was given a suspended 12-month jail sentence on Nov. 4, 2010, after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled drug.
In that case, Salem police arrested him March 15, along with a 44-year-old woman on drug-related charges. Monico pleaded guilty in exchange for the suspended jail sentence.
Terms of his latest plea have not yet been made public, but Monico is likely to face some form of punishment for violating his probation as well, according to court records.
He faces up to two to four years in state prison for allegedly violating his probation with his latest arrest, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say Monico’s criminal record includes convictions of resisting arrest, escape and a 1986 manslaughter conviction in the Bay State.
The new charges are each punishable by up to 7½ to 15 years in state prison, but Monico will likely receive some consideration for pleading guilty in the case. His plea and sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 5.
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