Convicted drug dealer to represent self
Lynell Guyton, a convicted drug dealer who can’t seem to get along with any of his court-appointed lawyers, will represent himself Monday when he goes to trial in federal court on drug distribution charges that could put him in prison for decades.
After sparring loudly with U.S. District Judge David Cercone for 90 minutes, as he has in previous court appearances, Guyton took an oath Friday and said he understood the perils of being his own lawyer.
Judge Cercone had denied a motion by his latest lawyer, Frank Walker, who had asked to be removed from the case. Mr. Walker said he filed the motion on Guyton’s insistence because Guyton said Mr. Walker hasn’t done any work for him and won’t do what he says.
It’s the same thing he’s said about his other lawyers.
Judge Cercone has appointed four of them since Guyton was charged in 2017, but the issue has always been the same. So this time the judge said Guyton will either have Mr. Walker as his lawyer or take his chances representing himself — with zero legal training.
“I think it would be unwise to represent yourself,” the judge said.
But Guyton said that’s indeed what he wants.
“All right, I’m going pro se,” he yelled at the judge. “You force me to go pro se.”
Mr. Walker will be on hand as standby counsel when jury selection starts Monday.
If the trial is anywhere near as contentious as the pretrial hearings have been, U.S. marshals may have their hands full. Judge Cercone warned Guyton several times that if he keeps interrupting and shouting at him, the judge will have him either removed from the courtroom or “bound and gagged.”
Judge Cercone said he’s never had a defendant as disruptive as Guyton in his career as a federal judge and a Common Pleas judge.
Guyton, 30, is the accused leader of a West End fentanyl ring that federal agents said was supplied from Hong Kong.
His case made headlines in the summer of 2017 when the city SWAT team raided a house in Elliott where prosecutors say Guyton’s cronies were packaging fentanyl for sale.
During the raid, someone knocked over a table containing fentanyl powder, sending it into the air and sickening 18 SWAT officers.
Guyton was later indicted by a federal grand jury and has since been indicted two more times on charges related to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession of a gun by a felon and laundering drug proceeds.
The investigation began in May 2017 when federal customs agents began monitoring suspicious packages from Hong Kong sent to an address on Chartiers
Avenue in the name “Avon Barksdale.”
Avon Barksdale is the fictional Baltimore drug lord in the TV show “The Wire.”
Barksdale was Guyton, according to federal agents.
Agents and police set up a controlled delivery in June 2017, placing fake fentanyl in the original shipping box from Hong Kong to see who showed up to get it at the Chartiers Avenue house.
A woman arrived and took it into the house, after which Guyton arrived on a hoverboard, walked inside and came out with the package in a plastic bag, according to the prosecution.
Police arrested him on state charges and he was released on bond.
Guyton was then arrested again a few weeks later after being caught driving on a suspended license.
Federal agents continued investigating him, culminating in the raid on Aug. 9, 2017, in which the fentanyl table was overturned and sent the SWAT team to the hospital. of