Habitual offender pleads guilty to trying to bring drugs into jail
A habitual offender who tried to smuggle meth into the Garland County Detention Center after his arrest last year was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court.
Ramon Dewayne Eastman, 41, who has remained in custody since his arrest Dec. 20, 2019, pleaded guilty to felony counts of possession of meth with purpose to deliver and furnishing, possessing or using prohibited articles and was sentenced to six years on each count, to run concurrently, and ordered to pay $315 in court costs.
Four felony counts of delivery of meth and four counts of unlawful use of a communication device stemming from a separate arrest were withdrawn. Prosecutors had filed a motion on Oct. 26 to amend the charges against Eastman to classify him as a habitual offender because he was convicted of burglary of a building in 2008, theft over $50 with two prior convictions in 2011 and theft over $1,500 in 2015, all in Bowie County, Texas. The motion was also withdrawn as part of the plea deal.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Dec. 20, shortly before 8 p. m., Hot Springs police Cpl.
Patrick Langley made a traffic stop on a white
Saturn at Oak Street and
West Grand Avenue for having expired tags, improper lane use and failure to use a turn signal.
He made contact with the driver, identified as Eastman, and a female passenger who was the owner of the vehicle. A computer check showed Eastman had a warrant for a misdemeanor count of third-degree domestic battery so he was taken into custody and transported to the jail.
During the intake process at the jail, Garland County sheriff’s Deputy Marcus Southerland found two baggies of what later tested for positive for meth, a total of 40.4 grams, inside Eastman’s right shoe, so he was arrested on the additional charges.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Feb. 11 and after several delays was set to stand trial on Jan. 25, 2021, but after the motion to classify him as a habitual offender was filed he opted to plead guilty Tuesday.