News
Man Sentenced To Six Years In Prison For Drugs
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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A man from The Plains is headed to prison for six years after changing his plea to guilty on charges of drug possession after already changing his plea to charges of attempting to escape from law enforcement.
Joshua Manering, 35, appeared before Judge George McCarthy in Athens County Common Pleas Court Wednesday to change his plea to guilty on an indictment charging him with illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, aggravated possession of drugs and possession of heroin, according to the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office.
Manering also entered a guilty plea to another indictment charging him with illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacturing of drugs.
He was arrested in March at a residence in The Plains where deputies found “chemicals associated with the manufacture of meth and liquid believed to be meth,” according to previous Messenger reporting.
Previously, Manering pleaded guilty to two different charges of escape on two different cases.
In August 2012, Manering appeared in court on violations dating back to 2007, and once he heard the judge’s decision on his bond, Manering allegedly ran from the courthouse, according to Messenger reports.
He ran to West Union Street where two detectives with the Athens County Sheriff’s Office spotted him, took him to the ground and placed him back under arrest.
In court Tuesday, McCarthy sentenced Manering to six years in prison for the illegal assembly charge, and one year each for aggravated possession, and heroin possession. For the second indictment, Manering was ordered to serve three years for both escape indictments, Manering was sentenced to a year in prison on each charge, the release stated.
McCarthy ordered all counts to run concurrent for a total prison term of six years.
“It’s a very stiff penalty,” said County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn. “It just shows that people who commit multiple offenses will get punished appropriately.”
McCarthy also ordered Manering to pay a mandatory fine in the amount of $12,500, suspended his driver’s license for four years and ordered him to pay court costs. Manering also will be required to complete a three-year mandatory post-release control sentence.