Local man sentenced to 2 years in prison on felony drug charges
A Hot Springs man arrested earlier this year at a traffic checkpoint was sentenced to two years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to felony drug charges in Garland County Circuit Court.
Richard Doyle Hurst, 58, who has remained in custody since his arrest Aug. 23, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia, and was sentenced to two years in prison on each count to run concurrently with each other and with the revocation of his parole from prior convictions.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Aug. 23, shortly after 10:30 a.m., Hurst, driving a Nissan pickup, was stopped at a traffic safety checkpoint set up at the intersection of Seventh and South streets.
Hot Springs police Officer Jason Greene made contact with Hurst, the lone occupant of the vehicle, and determined he didn’t have a valid driver’s license or proof of insurance. A computer check revealed he had a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation so he was taken into custody without incident.
During a search of the pickup,
Greene found a sunglasses case which contained a syringe, several empty baggies and a glass pipe with meth residue. In the bed of the pickup, the officer found a pill bottle in Hurst’s name which contained a baggie with 1.4 grams of what later tested positive for meth.
Hurst was previously convicted in 2010 of various felony drug charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison and had been out on parole.