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Gov. Tomblin’s brother sentenced for drugs

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Carl Tomblin, the brother of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, was sentenced to home confinement and probation after admitting he sold powerful prescription pain killers to feed his own addiction.

U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver ordered on Wednesday that Tomblin, 50, be confined to his Chapmanville-area home for eight months and serve three years probation. Tomblin previously pleaded guilty in March to distribution of oxymorphone.

Tomblin admitted he sold Opana on five occasions in December to confidential informants working with law enforcement. On each occasion, Tomblin sold the informant one pill, according to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court.

Tomblin and his attorney Rob Kuenzel asked Copenhaver for an alternative sentence in the case, citing that Tomblin now is being treated for drug abuse, as well as his recent return to the family business, Tomblin Kennels, and his assistance with his aging parents, specifically his ailing mother, Freda. His mother was recently diagnosed with leukemia, Tomblin said.

Kuenzel said Tomblin fell victim to substance abuse and that his client would acknowledge that he’s sorry for his actions and for any embarrassment he’s caused his family.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Haley Bunn argued that one of the drug sales occurred near a school and that was a serious offense. She said while the court has received letters on Tomblin’s behalf calling him “an addict who just got caught up in it,” he still sold to other addicts fueling their problems…

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