During outburst at a judge, Centre County man gets long prison sentence in drug case
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Centre County judge sentenced Larry Brickhouse to 15–30 years for drug trafficking.
- Prosecutors said Brickhouse aided a fentanyl-meth operation from New Jersey to PA.
- Brickhouse disrupted sentencing, denied guilt; judge cited history, lack of reform.
A Centre County man was sentenced Friday to at least 15 years in prison for what state prosecutors said was a major role in a sophisticated drug trafficking organization.
Larry J. Brickhouse, 51, of Ferguson Township, will remain in prison or be supervised for 30 years under the sentence handed down by Centre County Judge Julia Rater. He received credit for 43 days served at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
The hearing became heated as Rater explained the reason for the sentence. As she recounted evidence presented at a three-day trial, his long criminal history and said he distributed drugs that could have killed people, Brickhouse raised his voice and talked over the judge.
“It’s not funny,” Rater said.
Brickhouse responded by speaking of scandal and corruption in Centre County without mentioning anything specific. He then said prosecutors “put a case together that I never even had anything to do with.” Rater told him to stop speaking, but he did not.
As Brickhouse continued to rant, Rater turned away from him and went back to explaining her rationale.
“His involvement in the delivery and sale of drugs has put many lives at risk. He’s not corrected his actions, but instead he’s gone down the course of bad decisions and harmful actions and his criminal history goes back many years,” Rater said. “So the sentence that I impose is within the standard range and I believe it’s appropriate based on his criminal record, his personal characteristics — which he’s displaying in the courtroom right now — and his need for rehabilitation, which he did not achieve while unincarcerated.”
After Brickhouse was led out of the courtroom, defense lawyer Mark Zearfaus apologized to the judge.
Brickhouse was found guilty of three felony drug charges at the end of his May trial.
Prosecutors said they presented evidence he assisted distribution network leader Larry A. David by trafficking methamphetamine and a combination of heroin and fentanyl from northern New Jersey to the State College area.
Deputy Attorney General David C. Gorman said Brickhouse was an “integral part” of the organization. Zearfaus pushed back, saying the 15- to 30-year sentence sought by prosecutors was “extremely harsh.”
“It seems like he’s getting someone else’s sentence,” Zearfaus said. David, 46, died of a pulmonary embolism in April 2023 at the county jail while awaiting trial.
Brickhouse then said he was a “fall guy.”
“I don’t think I should be here at all,” he said. He will remain incarcerated at the county jail until he is transferred to the state prison system.