Witness threatened with death, defendant gets 16 years

Roseville, Calif.- A 35-year-old defendant who threatened to kill a witness in his pending drug case has been sent to state prison for 16 years by a Placer County judge.

Clint Wayne Wardlow, a resident of Minden, Nevada, was given the sentence July 15 by Superior Court Judge Colleen Nichols after he entered a plea of guilty to a felony charge of trying to dissuade a witness and of two drug-related counts.

“Because of his threats against the witness, it greatly increased his sentence,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Suzanne Gazzaniga, who prosecuted Wardlow.

Also contributing to the longer sentence was Wardlow’s admission of having a prior conviction for possessing methamphetamine for sale.

Gazzaniga said Wardlow’s newest conviction resulted from a 2008 case in which he was arrested on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale.

As his case was going through the justice system, Wardlow made a phone call in October 2009 to one of the witnesses who had been served with a subpoena to testify against him in court. Wardlow threatened to kill the witness and to burn down her house, Gazzaniga said.

Last Thursday, Wardlow pleaded guilty to making the threats and of possession of methamphetamine for sale and of transportation of the drug.

Gazzaniga praised the work of Roseville Police Officer Jeff Kool and District Attorney Investigator Brandon Olivera for helping secure the defendant’s conviction.