St. Mary’s Jury Finds Fentanyl And Cocaine Were Trafficked By Defendant; Killed One

LEONARDTOWN, Md. – State’s Attorney Richard Fritz announces that on April 20, 2022, following a three-day trial, a Saint Mary’s County jury found Terry Lee Kent (DOB April 26, 1990) guilty of trafficking both fentanyl and cocaine on August 2, 2019.

The jury also found the defendant guilty of distributing cocaine on December 19 and December 28, 2019, and conspiring with Dante Dean Thomas to distribute cocaine on December 28, 2019.

The defendant faces a maximum sentence of not more than 80 years incarceration, a fine of $60,000, 5 years of supervised release, and restitution as ordered by the Court.

Because the defendant’s trafficking of fentanyl on August 2, 2019, ultimately led to the death of a young adult on August 3, 2019, and because the defendant continued to traffic controlled dangerous substances afterward, the State will be asking the Court to impose the maximum penalty authorized by the law.

Dante Dean Thomas previously pled guilty to conspiracy with Terry Lee Kent to distribute cocaine on December 28, 2019, and is awaiting sentencing pending completion of a pre-sentence investigation.

Mr. Fritz would like to thank Deputy State’s Attorney Daniel White and Senior Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse for their work on the successful prosecution of both cases.

Mr. Fritz would also like to thank the Saint Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, specifically Detective Corporal David Potter and Detective Corporal Kevin Meyer, for their investigative efforts supporting these convictions.