By Joshua Cenzano
SANTA BARBARA, CA – A man was sentenced to six months in custody Wednesday by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Brian Hill for possession of a controlled substance and of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanor violations.
Mark Owens, who represented the man – the Vanguard doesn’t usually divulge the name of misdemeanor accused – noted that in light of his client’s previous no contest plea to the crimes that the assistant district attorney should not pursue a harsh sentence.
It appeared that the attorneys had already deliberated and previously agreed to a sentence of six months, as there was no argument held before the court on this issue.
The accused pleaded no contest to both violations on Dec. 19, 2019, and has been out of custody awaiting his sentencing hearing, which had been continued by the parties several times, presumably due to complications from the pandemic.
The parties appeared in Department 2 of the Santa Barbara County Superior Courthouse by way of Zoom before the judge to settle the matter and enter the accused’s sentence.
The court noted that the man is expected to report promptly for his sentence—he gave verbal acknowledgement to the judge through Zoom.
