Steven Michael Arnold, 41, formerly of Hillsboro, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to five felony drug charges, according to court records.
He pleaded guilty to two charges for possession of controlled substances stemming from two incidents in April 2016 in Hillsboro, two more possession charges tied to an April 2018 incident in Arnold, and a possession charge connected to a May 2018 incident in Hillsboro.
On July 8, Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Alfred Rathert sentenced Arnold to 10 years in prison for each drug charge, but the sentences will be served concurrently, or at the same time, court documents show.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Lindsay E. Whalen handled the cases.
Arnold, who previously served one year of a 15-year prison term, is awaiting sentencing for 17 other felonies after pleading to guilty to charges stemming from incidents between 2018-2020 in Jefferson County.
Those charges include one count of delivery of a controlled substance, a class C felony punishable by three to 10 years in prison, as well as five counts of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, three counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of second-degree burglar, two counts of forgery two counts of receiving stolen property, and stealing, each one a class D felony punishable by up to 7 years in prison. He also was charged with possession of burglary tools, a class E felony that carries a penalty up to four years in prison.
The two 2016 drug charges occurred six days apart. On April 24, 2016, he was found with an illegal substance and drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop on Leon Hall Parkway and Business 21 in Hillsboro, and on April 30, 2016, he was arrested after he was found lying behind a house in the 4400 block of Jarvis Road in Hillsboro with two bags containing a clear rock-like substance, according to probable-cause statements in the cases.
On April 19, 2018, Arnold was arrested by Arnold Police at a home on Bridgeview Court as part of an investigation, and he was found with methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl, the report said.
Just more than a month later, Arnold was arrested by Sheriff’s Office deputies on May 30 in the 4400 block of Jarvis Road after he was found with a syringe that had dried blood on it and a bag containing a white crystal-like substance, the probable-cause statement said.
Arnold, whose address is listed as the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correction Center in Bonne Terre, was sentenced in May 2016 to 15 years in prison on charges for felony stealing and burglary. That 15-year sentence was to be served consecutive to a one-year jail term but was set aside and reduced to one year in jail, according to court documents.