Parolee sentenced to three years in prison on felony drug charges
A local man on parole from a previous drug conviction was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to new felony drug charges from earlier this year.
Noah Lynn Smith, 30, who lists a Brookhill Ranch Road address, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to possession of a controlled substance, meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to three years on each count, to run concurrently, fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $315 in court costs.
Smith was convicted on Feb. 26, 2018, of possession of drug paraphernalia and sentenced to four years in prison, but was out on parole. He was arrested on April 10 on the new drug charges and was released on April 24 on a $ 7,500 bond.
While out on bond, he was arrested again on Nov. 21 on a charge of theft of property over $ 25,000 and had remained in custody since then. He is set for a review hearing on the theft charge on Jan. 5 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit on the April 10 arrest, shortly after 9: 30 p. m., Hot Springs police Cpl. Kenny May responded to a residence in the 1200 block of Higdon Ferry Road regarding a trespassing in progress. The owner of the property had called to report a vehicle occupied by three people parked in the driveway without permission.
May arrived and made contact with the occupants of a white 2006 Nissan Maxima, including Smith, and a computer check showed Smith to be a parolee with a search waiver on file. Smith said the Maxima was his so it was searched and officers found a zippered pouch with numerous syringes on the driver’s side floorboard.
Under the driver’s seat, they found a red case containing digital scales with meth residue and a baggie with 0.9 gram of what later tested positive for meth. Smith was taken into custody at that point.