Sex Offender Gets Life for Dealing Drugs

52 year old Richard Long, a 3 time convicted sex offender has served time in prison before.

"Including having served 12 years in Colorado for aggravated incest of his own child," said Desoto County Assistant District Attorney, Smith Murphey.

Now a judge has made sure Long, who left his criminal past in Colorado for Desoto County, Mississippi, will never leave the Magnolia state again.

"He will forever be the property of the State of Mississippi," Murphey said.

It wasn't the crime of sex with his own child but drug charges....with the help of undercover video....that drew Long the lifetime sentence. He was busted dealing Valium and other drugs from his travel trailer at a mobile home park. He was 96 feet from Olive Branch Community Park in January 2008.

"We were able to purchase drugs from him twice in 4 days and at the time we made the purchase he assured us he had remaining pills to sell and was going to be getting some more," said Murphey.

Murphey says the jury wasn't allowed to hear Long's background, but convicted him anyway.

"The jury deliberated 15 minutes, then a sentence hearing took about 10 minutes," he said.

Mississippi's tough state law regarding habitual offenders is what allowed the judge to consider Long's wrap sheet before throwing the book at him during sentencing October 29th.

"He's not just a sex offender but an extremely violent, incestuous sex offender. The worst of the worst," said Murphey.