A Rocky Fork Lake area man pled guilty to the charges levied in an August indictment just before a jury was set to hear his case on Tuesday.
Robert Wayne Sions, 58, was sentenced to a total of six years in prison on second-degree felony trafficking in and possession of heroin and fourth- and fifth-degree felony cocaine possession charges.
While Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss routinely does not accept negotiated plea deals within a two-week period prior to a trial, he said Tuesday that a defendant has a constitutional right to plead guilty to the entirety of an indictment at any point in the proceedings.
Sions has another pending case with the court. In that case he is charged with second-degree felony trafficking in and possession of heroin as well as fifth-degree felony counts of the same. He is also charged in that indictment with fifth-degree felony possession of criminal tools.
In recent weeks, motions to suppress evidence have been heard by the court on each case pertaining to the validity of traffic stops that led to the discovery of drugs, as well as to the validity of subsequent search warrants at Sions’ residence and a vehicle owned by the defendant.
In the first case, Coss overruled the motion in its entirety. In the second case, the judge overruled part of the motion, and took time to consider another part of it before making a ruling. As of Tuesday afternoon, a decision on the matter had not been filed with the Highland County Clerk of Courts.
As previously reported by The Times-Gazette, on two separate occasions in May and July, Sions was arrested by the Highland County Sheriff’s Office following traffic stops that led to the discovery of suspected drugs.
Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.
