LOGAN — A 32-year-old Newton man has been given a choice, get a job or face a possible prison sentence. Travis J. Richardson was sentenced to one-year in jail after being convicted of dealing a large quantity of methamphetamine.
Richardson was sentenced in 1st District Court Monday morning. He previously pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing a controlled substance, a second-degree felony.
Cache County Chief Prosecutor Spencer Walsh asked the court to send Richardson to prison. He noted that when the defendant was arrested in February, the defendant was found with more than one-and-a-half pounds of meth.
Walsh said, “I don’t know how we combat the drug problem in this community without significant prison sentences for these types of crimes.” He also explained that the defendant had a lengthy criminal history.
Richardson told the court he had struggled the past year but was ready to make some changes in his life. He said, “I was at a low point in my life but I am ready to turn my life around and get my kids back.”
Judge Thomas Willmore also expressed frustration and some anger, after Richardson admitted that he had been unemployed for some time. He sentenced him to one year in jail and three years of probation.
Instead of being locked up for 12 months though, Richardson will be given work release in three months. He was ordered to get a job immediately or face a harsher penalty.
Judge Willmore told Richardson, “If you can’t do this, the only other option is prison.”