Devon Finch, 34, of Dittmer has been sentenced to seven years in prison following drug charges and probation violations. Finch, who had pleaded guilty to felony drug charges in 2021, was again charged with possession of a controlled substance stemming from an incident last year, court records show.
Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Joseph Rathert sentenced Finch on March 5 for the most recent drug charge. In addition, three seven-years prison terms he was sentenced to for drug possession charges he pleaded guilty to in October 2021 were executed, court documents said.
All the terms will be served concurrently, or at the same time, and Finch was ordered to enter a treatment program, according to court records.
Finch allegedly violated his probation when he was arrested for alleged drug possession on Jan. 23, 2023, at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro. The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged him on Dec. 13, 2023, with possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony that carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, the report said.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case tied to the January arrest, Finch went to the Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro because the court ordered him to be fingerprinted. Because he was wanted on a warrant for driving with a revoked license, he was arrested.
Finch told the deputy he had “ice” in his pocket, and the deputy allegedly found a bag containing a white powdery substance, the report said.
Finch was arrested at least two other times for drug possession, court documents show.
In May 2020, Finch was arrested near the intersection of North Fifth Street and McKissock Street in De Soto when he was found with a capsule that he told the officer contained fentanyl, the report said.
In August 2019, he was arrested in the 500 block of South Main Street in De Soto when an officer performed a well-being check and found Finch with a bag containing a substance that tested positive for meth, and he also had four capsules that contained fentanyl in a speaker that was in the trunk of the vehicle he was driving, the probable cause statement said.
Finch pleaded guilty to the three drug possession charges in October 2021 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for each charge. However, the sentences were suspended, and he was placed on five years’ probation, according to court records.