By Karen Hall

Editor

A Nashville man who pleaded guilty to the charges of possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana was sentenced to 15 months in jail, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

Rudy V. Dunn, 45, is to report to jail on Jan. 10. As a Range I offender he must serve 30 percent of his sentence before being eligible for a parole board hearing.

"This is a hard one to figure out," said Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell at Dunn's sentencing hearing last week.

According to documents in his case file, Dunn was stopped on April 9 by agents of the 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force near mile marker 32 on Interstate 65. He was "found to be in possession of approximately one pound of marijuana," wrote Agent Shane Daugherty. A confidential informant had persuaded Dunn to sell him a pound of marijuana, and deliver it to Marshall County, and 17th JDDTF agents were watching for Dunn's car on the interstate.

This is the first time Dunn has been in trouble with the law since he was a teenageer in Wayne County, Mich. He has a steady work history, including a number of responsible accounting jobs.

"Rudy has over 20 years of accounting experience without a college degree," wrote his ex-wife in a letter included in the case file. Since the failing economy caused his termination from Caterpillar Financial in 2010, Dunn "has worked several temporary positions ... but he has not found a stable job with benefits," she continued. "I believe that Rudy became desperate when he made this terrible mistake, and is full of regret."

Under oath, Dunn testified his former supervisor had telephoned him, asking for a pound of marijuana.

"Why did that supervisor think of you?" asked Russell, but Dunn had no explanation.

"Why'd you do it?" asked the judge.

"I wasn't working; I needed the money," answered Dunn (he was supposed to get $75 for his trouble).

Prosecutor Mike Randles cast doubt on Dunn's story.

"You weren't the wrong guy to call," Randles said. "You were the guy! You lined up the marijuana and headed down I-65. Did you pay up front?"

"No, I didn't pay for it," Dunn said.

"Tell us who that was who fronted that pound of marijuana to you," said Randles.

"I don't know his legal name," said Dunn, also refusing to divulge a phone number or meeting place.

"Remember you're under oath," Randles said, but Dunn responded, "I got myself in this trouble. I don't want to get anyone else in trouble. I'm responsible for this mistake."

Summarizing, Randles said, "He's just somebody who has pulled the wool over a great number of people's eyes. He's been evasive here today, and he's managed to fool his family. He protected the drug dealer. It's just a matter of how much time he serves."

"This was done to support his family," argued Dunn's attorney Michael Collins of the Public Defender's Office. "It's an unusual case. He's done some stupid things in the recent past, but he's gone 28 years with no trouble. He's maintained a good job record. If anyone stands a chance of being rehabilitated, it's him."

"I don't exactly agree he has these people fooled," said Russell. "It's two sides of the same person." The judge noted Dunn's "serious lack of candor in more than one form," and decided he was "not a good bet for alternative sentencing."

However, Russell was troubled by the fact that Dunn would lose the good job he had lined up through Accountemps. The judge decided to give Dunn a January report date, so he could make arrangements with his family and employer and, hopefully, have a job waiting when he got out of jail.