Possession of controlled substance, paraphernalia sends Crawford County man away for two years

A Van Buren man who avoided being named a habitual offender in Sebastian County Circuit Court will still spend some time in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after convictions on Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Methamphetamine, and a pair of Felony Failure to Appear warrants.

Forty-three year-old Clayton Leach was sentenced to two years with four years suspended on each of the four felony counts with all sentences to run concurrently. The prosecutors office dropped the habitual offender possibility as part of the plea deal.

Leach started his shenanigans at the age of 23 in 2001 when he was convicted of Theft of Public Benefits. In the ensuing years there were drug and paraphernalia convictions as well as one order of protection and several misdemeanor traffic violations.

Leach will be given credit for jail time served and must start $60 per month payments to the court for cost and fees ninety days after his release. His driver's license will also be suspended for the first six moths he is on the outside.