HUNTSVILLE - Struggles with alcohol and drugs have landed a young Huntsville man in jail.
Dylan Turner, 20, pleaded guilty in Huntsville criminal court on Wednesday, Oct. 3, to two counts of drug possession, assault and breaching his probation order.
According to information provided by federal prosecutor Peter Heath, Turner had been incarcerated for 15 days last February after he pleaded guilty to a number of criminal charges. In addition to the jail time, Turner was placed on 18 month’s probation.
Heath said that on March 3, less than one month after Turner’s incarceration, Huntsville OPP received a call from an apartment building superintendent about a man who had, according to the complainant, “looked wasted” on a stairwell.
When officers came to the scene, they found a young man reclining on the stairwell who appeared to be unconscious.
The officers tried to wake the man, shaking him while trying to communicate with him.
The man did eventually wake up, and told police he didn’t know where he was. He identified himself as Turner and was arrested by police for being intoxicated in a public place.
During the arrest, officers discovered 2.9 grams of marijuana in the front pocket of Turner’s pants and charged him with drug possession.
The remaining charges stemmed from an incident on May 4, during an overnight visit by Turner and his then-girlfriend to a friend’s house.
According to Heath, Turner had consumed 26 beers and smoked marijuana during the evening, and later argued with his girlfriend as she tried to go to sleep.
Heath said that Turner, who he said has a history of assault, slapped the woman in the face and put her in chokehold.
Police were called to the scene and during a search of Turner discovered 1.1 grams of marijuana in one of his pockets.
Defence attorney Robin Bellows told the court that her client “struggles with sobriety,” adding that he has had issues with alcohol since he was 10 years old.
Judge JD Evans told Turner that he has a lifelong battle with alcohol ahead of him, and that if he didn’t get it under control “you are looking at more jail for future convictions.”
Judge Evans fined Turner $400 for the March 3 drug conviction, and gave him 30 days in custody for the assault, probation breach and possession charges from the May 4 incident.