A Celina man was sentenced to 90 years in prison after he was found guilty of two counts of delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance in a drug-free school zone and one count of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to deliver in a drug-free school zone.

William “Pee Wee” Boles, 66, was sentenced two weeks ago by Judge David Patterson in Clay County Criminal Court, according to a press release from the office of District Attorney General Randall A. York. He was indicted by the Clay County Grand Jury in December 2012 following a nearly four-month investigation into the illegal diversion and trafficking of Oxycodone in Clay County, the release said.

“At the time of his indictment, Boles had already been arrested by law enforcement for a violation of probation and was in the process of serving a previously imposed eight-year sentence for two prior felony drug convictions,” the release said.

During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Mark Gore reportedly argued that Boles had dedicated his life to dealing drugs and criminal behavior and was a danger to the community. He further argued Boles’ “numerous” prior felony drug convictions meant he should be sentenced as a career offender, which carries a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 30 years.

Gore said, “I have spent the better part of my career prosecuting drug dealers, and Pee Wee Boles definitely takes the cake. This guy was given way too many chances over the course of a criminal career that lasted over 30 years.

“Fortunately, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Clay County Jury, and the judge have finally put an end to Mr. Boles’ drug dealing,” Gore added.

Local law enforcement officials say that they are serious about keeping area school zones drug-free.

In July 2011, Livingston Police Department arrested Christopher Ivan Thrasher for selling Oxycodone to an undercover agent at his residence within 1,000 feet of A.H. Roberts Elementary School. Those charges netted Thrasher a 17-year sentence, something Assistant District Attorney Owen Burnett called “one of the lengthiest sentences for drug trafficking in Overton County of which I’m aware.”

At the time, Livingston Police Chief Greg Etheredge cited Thrasher’s history of drug-related charges as a factor in earning him the lengthy sentence for selling a total of six pills to LPD investigators. Similarly, he said Boles had a long history of trouble with law enforcement that contributed to the sentence he received.

Etheredge said, “What you’ve got to remember is, in Overton County and much of the Upper Cumberland, the pill exchanges we deal with when we’re talking about a normal, regular drug dealer in Overton County, they’re not throwing out 300 pills at a time. It’s two and three and four pills, and sometimes just one, and sometimes just a half. It’s the same thing whether you’re selling 300 or you’re selling two.

“The drug-free school zone areas, inside the city limits, it’s almost impossible to drive through Livingston without going through a school zone. School zones were created to create a drug free environment. It’s supposed to be a safe area for kids to come to school to learn, play on the playground, do all these things, get their education, and not have to worry about the drama that comes with the drug traffic. So when (District Attorney) General (Randy) York first came into the office, he made this one of the cornerstones of what he wanted to do.

“We all had our, ‘How is this going to work?’ And now we’ve seen it. We’ve seen it in Overton, we’ve seen it in Putnam, and now, we’ve seen it in Clay. If it does anything, it should send a message to these drug dealers. Don’t do it around schools, don’t do it around daycares, don’t do it at all–but if you are going to do it, sure don’t do it in these places, because the penalties are so tough. They should be a deterrent. I think that’s a good program,” Etheredge added.