Jury convicts man as habitual offender

A Canton man is set to receive a sentence as an habitué offender after being convicted on two more drug charges this week.

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Torrey Powell, 42, of Canton, was convicted on two counts of possession of methamphetamine during a two-day trial. 

“This is a prime example of the revolving door that is the criminal justice system at times,” Bramlett said. “This was Torrey Powell’s 10th time to face felony charges. He had prior convictions in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Mississippi.

Powell is a habitual offender and subsequent drug offender that may be subjected to double the maximum sentence allowed by law without the eligibility of early release or parole, Bramlett said. 

Judge Dewey Arthur set sentencing for Monday, March 28, 2022, at 9 a.m. at the Madison County Courthouse.  

An officer from the Madison Police Department made a routine traffic stop on April 29, 2020, and encountered Powell, the driver of the car. 

There was also a female and infant child sitting in the backseat. Powell did not have a valid driver’s license or insurance and was asked to step out of the car so that the officer could run his information through dispatch. 

“I am so glad law enforcement was able to take these drugs off the street, and that the jurors of Madison County made it possible to take a convicted felon off the streets,” Bramlett said. 

“He is facing a considerable amount of time for these offenses, and due to him being convicted as both a habitual offender and subsequent drug offender, we hope his eventual sentence will keep him from being parole eligible for a very long time.” 

The officer patted him down for officer safety and felt a pill bottle in his front pant pocket. Powell admitted the bottle contained ecstasy pills, methamphetamine, and heroin. 

The Mississippi Crime Lab tested two of the substances and found them both to contain methamphetamine – one in pill form and one in powder form. 

Investigators discovered through Powell’s criminal background that he had been previously convicted on at least nine separate occasions of felony offenses, most of them being drug related.  

Last week, another Madison County jury convicted Carlos Dominque Allen for the sale of Fentanyl, Trafficking in Fentanyl, Possession of Hydrocodone, and Possession of Amphetamine. 

Like Powell, he is a habitual offender and subsequent drug offender. His sentencing is also set for  March 28, 2022, at 9 a.m. in front of Judge Dewey Arthur.