Drug Trafficker From Middletown Gets Up to Life in Prison
Middletown man sentenced to 39 Years to life for operating as a "major trafficker," narcotics and weapons offenses.
Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced that on August 26, Thedford Browning, 54, of Middletown, was sentenced as a Discretionary Persistent Felony Offender and sentenced to 39 years to life in prison.
Browning was convicted after a jury trial in Orange County of:
- Operating as a Major Trafficker,
- Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree,
- three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree,
- and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.
"This defendant was a ‘Major Narcotics Trafficker’ in every sense of the word, and hopefully the community will be safer during the four decades that he is incarcerated,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “Invariably where there are large amounts of narcotics there are illegal weapons. While some offenders learn their lesson after having been incarcerated, Discretionary Persistent Felony Offender statutes exist for those recalcitrant offenders who refuse to stop committing felonies. Major Traffickers make hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more, profiting from vulnerable people’s addictions. Far too many lives in Orange County have been lost or destroyed by drug addiction, and the violence which inevitably follows it. My office is dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to go after those at the top of the controlled substance supply chain. I am grateful for the diligence and professionalism of the City of Middletown Police Department, and the other law enforcement agencies that aided them in this investigation.”
According to the District Attorney, evidence at the trial proved that as of July 25, 2024, Browning, as a “profiteer,” knowingly and unlawfully possessed, on multiple occasions, within six months or less, cocaine, with intent to sell it, and the cocaine was valued at $75,000.
On July 25, 2024, the Middletown Police Department, along with the Orange County Drug Task Force, executed a search warrant at a storage unit Browning reportedly used at the CubeSmart storage facility on Dolson Avenue, in Middletown.
During that search, Police said they recovered over three kilograms of cocaine, a defaced Tech Nine assault weapon, over $40,000 in cash, digital scales, money counters and other drug paraphernalia.
Middletown Police also searched Browning's James Street residence in Middletown and found more cocaine, a loaded, and defaced .38 caliber revolver, drug packaging materials and digital scales. The street value of all the recovered cocaine was in excess of $200,000.
Evidence at the trial also showed that Browning had sold, or arranged for others to sell, cocaine to officers working for Middletown Police Department on 15 separate occasions.
The District Attorney’s Office had moved after his trial conviction for Browning to be declared a Discretionary Persistent Felony Offender, based on his criminal history.
Following a hearing, an Orange County Court Judge found Browning to be a Discretionary Persistent Felony Offender which raised the possible sentences that could be imposed.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Middletown Police Department for their investigation which led to the arrest of Browning.
