The US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the life sentences of former Gallatin County Sheriff Raymond Martin.
The 52-year old Martin was convicted in September 2010, following an eight day jury trial on 15 counts of drug related offenses as well as attempting to have 2 witnesses against him in the drug case killed after he was arrested and was being held without bond in the Jackson County Jail.
Martin was originally sentenced in January 2011 to two consecutive life terms plus 10 years. He appealed the conviction and sentence. The Court of Appeals upheld his conviction but vacated his sentence on a technicality and remanded the case back to district court. At re-sentencing, the court again imposed two life sentences plus 10-years.
In its decision the Court of Appeals, says Martin's case is one of the most severe it had ever seen. The Court said Martin betrayal of the public trust and the people he was elected to serve was unforgivable. Martin was convicted of dealing drugs while on duty as Gallatin County Sheriff. He was arrested in May of 2009. At the time of his arrest Martin had been Gallatin County's Sheriff since 1990.
