NEWBURY PARK : Man Gets 7 Years on Drug Charges

A convicted Newbury Park drug dealer was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison--the maximum term--by a judge who last month refused to let prosecutors retry the man on charges of assaulting a police officer.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath sentenced Jeffrey Hedlund to five years for one count of transportation and sale of cocaine, one year for one count of drug possession and one year for committing another crime while having a prior felony conviction.

Hedlund tried to run over Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick MacCauley on June 30 after realizing that a man to whom he had just sold cocaine was a police informant, according to court testimony.

But a jury in March deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of convicting Hedlund on two charges of assault on a police officer in connection with his June 30 arrest.

The same jury convicted him of trafficking drugs.

Prosecutors wanted to retry Hedlund on the assault charges, but McGrath refused their request.

Jurors had told the judge that they did not believe that prosecutors had enough evidence to get assault convictions against Hedlund.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Meyers said he was pleased that Hedlund received the maximum penalty for the drug offenses.

He said Hedlund drove recklessly and put the lives of residents and deputies in danger when he tried to evade arrest.

“I’m pleased with the sentence because the defendant’s conduct was so aggravated,” Meyers said.