Drug dealer to serve a decade in prison

By Linda Cicoira

An Exmore fentanyl and cocaine dealer was sentenced Tuesday in Northampton Circuit Court to 45 years in prison. Thirty-six years were suspended leaving him with nine years to serve.

Forty-year-old Franklin Eugene Kellam, of Browne Avenue, was given 15 years for a second count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He was caught with nearly 1,000 fentanyl tablets.

Kellam was also given 15 years for possession with intent to distribute four grams of cocaine. In addition, he was convicted of a misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice and was given the same sentence for that crime. Twelve years of each term was suspended. The incidents occurred April 10.

     According to a checklist for bond, Kellam was stopped for failing to use his signal light. He agreed to a search of his vehicle. The 994 round blue tablets that were confiscated were found to be fentanyl. Thirty similar tablets were not tested.

Also,  a Quinby man was sentenced to a year in prison for three counts of uttering as a principle in the second degree and three counts of forgery.

     Twenty-four-year-old Max Wolfgang Hostetter, of Upshur Neck Road, was convicted of the crimes in connection with March 2022 incidents. He was sentenced to a year for each of the six charges with all but two months each suspended. Because the terms were set to run consecutively, the total time is a year.