Local man sentenced to 5 years in prison on multiple drug charges
One of three suspects arrested on multiple felony charges earlier this year after an incident involving a man trying to retrieve his possessions from a residence was sentenced to five years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to charges.
Jason Daniel Alford, 35, of Hot Springs, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to possession of meth with purpose to deliver, possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, involving lorazepam, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to five years in prison on each count, to run concurrently, and ordered to pay $295 in court costs.
Also arrested were Randy
Wayne Sharp, 47, and Tawana
Louise Ellis, 38, who were reportedly living with Alford at a residence on Fleet Street at the time. Sharp was set for a pretrial hearing on his
charges on Sept. 24 and failed to appear so a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. The charges against Ellis were withdrawn after a hearing Monday in circuit court.
Alford and the others were arrested on Feb. 3 and Alford had pleaded not guilty to his charges on April 9. He was released on $9,000 bond on May 19, but then failed to appear for a pretrial hearing on July 30 so a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was taken into custody on Sept. 20 and had remained in custody since then.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Feb. 3, shortly after 9:15 a.m., Hot Springs police Officer Jonathon Langford was asked by a local man who had been staying at the Fleet Street residence with his cousin if Langford would assist him in retrieving some of his belongings.
He said he had helped his cousin move out earlier that morning and then got a “disturbing” text message from Ellis, one of his cousin’s roommates, asking him not to return because the primary renter, identified as Alford, had a shotgun.
It was determined Alford was on parole and a warrant had been issued for his arrest for absconding. Langford went with the man to the residence and upon arrival, the man met Sharp just inside the door and told him he needed to get his belongings. Sharp told police Alford and Ellis were in Alford’s bedroom asleep.
The man went to his room, got his belongings and left. Cpl. Mike Brown, who had come to assist, reportedly observed drug paraphernalia in plain sight on a bed where Sharp was sitting. He detained Sharp who began speaking loudly, prompting Ellis to come out to see what was going on.
The officers told Ellis to wake Alford up and after observing Alford on the bed through the open door, the officers went in and took him into custody on the warrant. They reportedly saw drug paraphernalia in the room and detained Alford, Ellis and Sharp until the department’s Special Investigations Division officers could respond.
As part of his parole, Alford, the primary renter, had a waiver to search his property so officers conducted a search of the residence.
They found 10 syringes loaded with meth, a total of 1.6 gram, marijuana cigarettes, digital scales, a homemade meth bong, a glass meth pipe, baggies and spoons with residue, and multiple pills, including lorazepam, trazodone and loratadine.