A Louisiana man was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday following his plea late last year to a federal drug charge stemming from his arrest by local drug task force officers and Hot Springs police.
Jonathan Taylor, 30, alias "N.O.", of Violet, La., was sentenced to 108 months, or nine years, in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2014, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine during an appearance Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Susan O. Hickey in Texarkana.
"With today's sentence, another drug dealer has been brought to justice," Conner Eldridge, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, said in a news release. "The eradication of drug trafficking is vital to the growth and well-being of Hot Springs and communities across the Western District of Arkansas. Our office remains focused on investigating and prosecuting drug trafficking activity in order to make our state a safer place for all of our citizens."
According to court records, on May 27, 2014, members of the 18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force and HSPD officers were contacted by staff members of a Hot Springs hotel regarding possible controlled substances found in a guest room while the room was being cleaned by the housekeeping staff. The substance was field tested on the scene by DTF officers and determined to be meth.
Further investigation revealed that the room in question had been rented by Taylor. Subsequently, Taylor was encountered by investigators as he arrived back at the hotel. He claimed he came to the hotel to retrieve a PlayStation game console that he left in the hotel room.
After being advised that controlled substances had been found in the room, Taylor spontaneously admitted that the drugs belonged to him. He later gave a formal statement admitting that he was the current renter of the hotel room in question, and that the meth, approximately 6.4 ounces, belonged to him. He was arrested and charged on July 2, 2014.
This case was investigated by the HSPD, DTF and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
Local on 04/25/2015