Associated Press
GULFPORT, Miss. —
A 44-year-old Gulfport man identified in court as a mid-level drug dealer has been ordered to serve 12 years day for day as a repeat felon found in possession of cocaine and synthetic marijuana.
Assistant District Attorney Crosby Parker tells The Sun Herald Paul Fredrick Jones was prosecuted as a habitual offender because he had five felony convictions.
Parker says Jones had been convicted twice for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and three times for burglary. He also was subject to double the maximum penalty.
Jones was set for trial but pleaded guilty this week after a hearing on a motion to suppress the search warrant that led to his arrest Jan. 19, 2012.
He has been in custody since his arrest.
