A local man arrested last year as part of Operation 8 Ball, a six-month sting operation by local drug task force agents and federal authorities, pleaded guilty to charges Monday and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Deshon Marquis Gray, 28, who has remained in custody in lieu of $35,000 bond and a parole hold since his arrest Oct. 10, 2016, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to one count of delivery of methamphetamine and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, involving ecstasy and marijuana, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 12 years suspended on each count, all to run concurrently.
Additional felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, involving cocaine and hydrocodone, and possession of drug paraphernalia, were withdrawn.
Deputy Prosecutor Trent Daniels noted Monday that Gray was sentenced as a habitual offender, having been previously convicted of three prior felonies, including possession of a controlled substance, cocaine, in 2008; commercial burglary and theft of property in 2009; and possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, Xanax, in 2010, all in Garland County.
Daniels noted Gray's potential sentence was reduced somewhat by his willingness to plead guilty without prosecutors having to identify the confidential informant involved in his arrest in open court.
According to the affidavit on the delivery charge, between June 1 and July 1, 2016, agents with the 18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security used a confidential informant to make a controlled purchase from Gray of what later tested positive for meth, less than 10 grams but more than 2 grams.
They positively identified Gray through investigators' prior contact with him and social media photos.
A warrant was issued for his arrest and on Oct. 10, 2016, a DTF agent spotted Gray driving a GMC Tahoe and contacted Hot Springs police who made a traffic stop on the vehicle on Robinwood Street.
Gray was taken into custody and during an inventory of the vehicle, officers found a backpack which contained four glass Mason jars of marijuana, approximately 143.9 grams, three sets of digital scales, a baggie of marijuana, two bags of suspected crack cocaine, approximately 6.4 grams, and a pill bottle with two ecstasy pills and four hydrocodone pills.
• A parolee was sentenced to six years in prison Monday after pleading guilty in circuit court to stealing another man's camper last year.
Shane Allen Emley, 49, of Royal, pleaded guilty to theft by receiving more than $1,000 with his sentence to run concurrently with the revocation of his parole from his previous convictions in 2015 in Garland County for possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the affidavit, on Nov. 24, 2016, a local man reported the theft of his white Jayco camper trailer, valued at $7,500, from his property in the 5700 block of Central Avenue.
On Jan. 12, 2017, the victim learned his camper was possibly being stored on some property in the 100 block of Chickasaw Road so he sent a friend to check. The friend confirmed the victim's camper could be plainly viewed from the roadway.
The victim notified Garland County sheriff's deputies who went to the Chickasaw location with him the next day. The victim was able to identify the camper based on the model, color, damage to the rear awning and light blue interior carpeting. The vehicle identification number had been removed from the camper.
Deputies determined the property belonged to Emley who was located at the scene. Many of Emley's personal items were found inside the camper and "it appeared to deputies Emley was living in the camper."
Emley was arrested and had remained in custody since then in lieu of $3,500 bond and after his parole was revoked.
Local on 04/25/2017