Bobby Finley, 20, was accused of planning to sell drugs and tobacco inside the jail. Finley pleaded guilty Thursday to five felony counts and was sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison. But the sentences are to run consecutively and top out at five years.
Guards caught Finley using bolt cutters to get through the chain-link fence that surrounds the jail. Prosecutors said Finley had cocaine and marijuana in his possession.
"In 19 years of prosecuting you always encounter cases that make you believe you've seen it all
- until you see a case of this nature," Deputy Prosecutor Carlton Jones said. "It never ceases to amaze me."
Finley was found mentally competent to stand trial following a psychological evaluation.
Finley will get credit for time served for the 316 days he spent in jail since getting caught.
In his deal with prosecutors, Finley was sentenced to five years each on two possession counts and three years each on three counts of furnishing prohibited substances: cocaine, marijuana and tobacco.
When Finley was arrested last summer, Arkansas State Trooper Scott Clark investigated and said Finley was a moment away from getting inside the fence.
"This is the first one I've ever worked where somebody went to so much trouble to remove an obstacle so they could bring contraband into the jail," Clark said at the time. "It's definitely a first for me."
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Information from: Texarkana Gazette, http://www.texarkanagazette.com
