The family of a Whitfield County man looked on, shedding tears, as their loved one - a convicted drug dealer - agreed to spend the next 20 years of his life in prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Harold L. Murphy accepted a binding plea agreement between 55-year-old David Townsend and prosecutors — a 20 year prison sentence along with 10 years on supervised release for his cooperation and guilty plea.

Although Townsend has not yet been sentenced, the judge told the defendant if he chose to depart from the agreement during sentencing then Townsend would have the opportunity to withdraw the plea.

Prosecutors dropped two additional drug charges from the current indictment and agreed to dismiss two of Townsend’s three prior drug convictions, the judge said, otherwise he would have faced a mandatory life sentence in prison.

“Are you reasonably well satisfied with this plea agreement,” Murphy asked.

“Yes, sir,” Townsend replied.

He pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute at least 220 pounds of marijuana, 1,100 pounds of a mixture of methamphetamines and five grams of “actual” methamphetamine.

Townsend was arrested on Dec. 3, 2009 near his Ruth Street home in the in Whitfield County after leading local law enforcement and U.S. Marshals in a chase through the woods near his home.

However, the plea centered around a single methamphetamine transaction that took place on August 28, 2007 between Townsend’s brother-in-law and another man, who was cooperating in a federal investigation.

Townsend was not at the location. But, the drug buy was recorded and at one point Townsend’s voice could be clearly heard discussing the price two ounces of meth could be sold for.

“On one occasion they could hear Mr. Townsend talking to (his brother in law),” Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Tarvin said.

Of the two ounces of meth sold, Tarvin told the court, a crime lab report showed the mixture contained approximately 30 grams, about half of the substance sold, of actual methamphetamine.

After the proceedings, members of Townsend’s family disputed what they said an earlier report stating two hundred pounds of marijuana found in his Ruth Street home and stated the report was “untrue and slanderous.”

No drugs were reported found in his home at the time of his arrest.

Townsend is scheduled to be sentenced Friday July 23, at 1:30 p.m.