A Hillsboro man pled guilty to one count of aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony, after rescinding his former not guilty plea and agreeing to an intervention in lieu of conviction in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

Jacob Leonard, 22, was sentenced to two years of community control.

According to court records, if Leonard violates any of the conditions of his community control sanctions he will be sentenced to 12 months in prison, ordered to pay a $2,500 fine and given a suspended license of six months to five years.

Leonard’s drug dependence was a factor in this criminal activity, rehabilitation treatment would substantially reduce the likelihood of more criminal activity, he was accepted into an appropriate certified treatment program, is not a repeat or dangerous offender, and is otherwise eligible for intervention in lieu of conviction, court documents said.

On or around Nov. 18, 2020, according to court records, an officer was on patrol on South East Street in Hillsboro when he saw Leonard operating a dark blue Chevrolet pickup truck, and the officer had knowledge that Leonard had a suspended driver’s license. Also, the officer saw the truck had a cracked windshield and didn’t have a working license plate light. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle in an alley behind Holtfield Station.

The officer approached the vehicle and made contact with Leonard. The officer asked him for his driver’s license, which Leonard didn’t have, and then the officer asked Leonard if there was anything in the vehicle. Leonard gave the officer marijuana that was in the truck. Leonard said he was not prescribed medical marijuana. The officer then verified Leonard’s driver’s license was suspended, according to court records.

The records say that after Leonard told the officer there was not anything else illegal in the truck, the officer found a small baggie containing a crystallized substance inside a Marlboro cigarette box in the back seat of the truck. The crystallized substance was then submitted to BCI for analysis and was found to contain methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.