Plea Change

A Sheridan man changed his pleas this week in Fourth Judicial District Court on a number of drug related charges. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

On January 26 of this year, 38-year-old Zachariah Nelson was arrested for methamphetamine distribution and possession. The arrest was part of an investigation by law enforcement into a methamphetamine distribution ring in Sheridan. At a change of plea hearing in District Court Tuesday, Nelson pleaded guilty to the charges of felony conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine. The guilty pleas were the result of a plea agreement that was reached with the State that recommends a sentence of 3 to 6 years in prison for the felony, suspended in lieu of a split sentence of time served from when Nelson was arrested until the date of sentencing. The State is recommending 180 days in jail for the misdemeanor and to run the sentence concurrent to the sentence for the conspiracy charge.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed by the Department of Corrections Division of Probation and Parole and scheduled sentencing for September 3 at 9:45 am. Nelson’s bond was revoked and he was remanded to the custody of the Sheridan County Detention Center pending sentencing.