District Attorney’s Office press release
Joshua Dean Turcola, 31, of Malakoff, was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver. He was sentenced by 3rd Judicial District Court Judge, Mark Calhoon after pleading guilty to the charge.
District Attorney Scott McKee and 1st Assistant Mark Hall prosecuted the case.
Turcola was indicted by a Henderson County Grand Jury based on a June, 2014 traffic stop by Trooper Jacob Lutz who was assisted by Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Beddingfield, Trooper Samuel Nowell and Highway Patrol Sergeant Brian Hemati.
The traffic stop was initiated by Trooper Lutz after he noticed a white Dodge Challenger driven by Turcola pass him at a high rate of speed. After verifying the Challenger’s speed at 85 miles per hour, Lutz attempted to stop the vehicle. As the Trooper pulled into the roadway to begin pursuit, Turcola’s vehicle reached speeds up to 101 miles per hour while passing two commercial trucks. As the Trooper closed on the vehicle, it pulled over and made a sudden stop on the left shoulder of the road.
Lutz was able to identify the driver as Joshua Dean Turcola. A female, Yvette Michelle Manios, was also inside the vehicle. Turcola told Lutz that he didn’t have a driver’s license or insurance. Shortly after Lutz had Turcola exit the vehicle, Henderson County Deputy Brad Beddingfield arrived on scene to assist. The driver of one of the commercial trucks that Turcola had passed also pulled over and informed Beddingfield that as the Challenger sped past him, someone threw something out of the passenger window of the car.
The truck driver was able to assist Beddingfield in locating two ziplock bags containing methamphetamine in the location where the driver witnessed the items being thrown from the car.
After retrieving the zip lock bags, Turcola and Manios were placed into custody. A lab analysis later confirmed 146.04 grams of crystal methamphetamine.
District Attorney Scott McKee commended the officers as well as the citizen for his help in assisting law enforcement in taking meth off the streets. “These two individuals were in possession of a lot of meth. But for the citizen’s help, the officers would not have known that Turcola and Manios were in possession of the meth.”
According to McKee, the street value of the meth was around $15,000.
McKee’s office also filed a civil seizure lawsuit against Turcola for the Dodge Challenger due to its use in transporting narcotics. The Challenger will be sold at auction with the proceeds going to the County and State to be used for law enforcement purposes. According to McKee, the money helps offset the cost to taxpayers in investigating and prosecuting those that traffic narcotics.
Turcola has also previously been arrested in Kaufman County for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Dallas County for the offenses of unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of marijuana over 2 ounces, and burglary of a vehicle.