GILMER, TX (KLTV) - An Upshur County jury sentenced a man who tried to throw out a bag containing more than 16 grams of cocaine before a traffic stop to 80 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison.
According to a press release from the Upshur County District Attorney’s Office, the jury convened Tuesday after a one-day trial in the 115th Judicial District Court and found Anwar Holmes, 46, of Houston, guilty of possession of a controlled substance Penalty Group 1 between 4 and 300 grams.
The charge that Holmes was convicted of was a lesser charge than the one he stood trial for, the press release stated. Holmes had originally been charged with possession of a controlled substance between 4 and 200 grams with the intent to deliver.
“As I continue to meet the citizens of Upshur County at various community events, the number one question I am asked is what we plan to do with those who bring drugs into our community,” Assistant District Attorney Sarah Cooper said in the press release. “Today, twelve citizens answered that question for me. We do not tolerate the distribution of death and poison in Upshur County, and those who continue to deal in it will not find mercy here.”
The press release stated that on July 2, 2017, Holmes was driving on U.S. Highway 259 in Upshur County when he threw a beer can from his window. It cracked the windshield of another driver on the road, who called 911 and followed Holmes until law enforcement arrived.
While a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was investigating the offense, Holmes tried to hide a bag of cocaine under his vehicle. At the time, Holmes was found to be intoxicated.
When the DPS trooper inventoried Holmes’ vehicle, the trooper found a bag of cocaine, which later weighed in at 16.4 grams, the press release stated. The cocaine had an estimated value of $1,600.
During the punishment phase of the trial, the state revealed that Holmes had previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, the press release stated. He also served three years in the TDJC prison system after he was convicted of assault of a public servant in Harris County.
“After a short deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of 80 years confinement,” the press release stated.
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