By Tim Ruzek
truzek@postbulletin.com
A 24-year-old man is facing nearly nine years in prison after pleading guilty Friday to possessing a large amount of crack cocaine last fall in Austin, three months after he was released from prison for selling drugs in the city.
Jason Eugene Daniels, of Austin, pleaded guilty to a single felony count of first-degree drug crime (subsequent offense) for possessing about 2.3 ounces, or 65 grams, of crack cocaine, Mower District Court records show. Daniels entered an Alford plea to the charge in which he didn’t admit guilt but admitted a jury likely would find him guilty.
Daniels faces a possible sentence of 104 months in prison but will be allowed to seek a lesser term at sentencing, according to the plea agreement.
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A sentencing date will be set for Daniels following a presentence investigation.
According to the criminal complaint, Austin police responded about 11:35 p.m. Oct. 1 to a residence in the 1300 block of First Place Southeast for a domestic disturbance.
A 22-year-old woman told police she thought Daniels was hiding drugs in her home. She allowed officers to search the home, leading to them finding crack cocaine in a plastic bag inside a sack of flour.
According to the complaint, Daniels told police he was holding the drugs for a friend but admitted he was going to get paid for concealing the cocaine.
Daniels was released June 25, 2007, from prison and placed on supervised release, according to state corrections.
In November 2005, Daniels was sentenced in Mower County to 34 months in prison after pleading guilty to two felony counts of third-degree drug crime. He admitted to selling cocaine many times between November and December 2002 and from February 2003 to April 2003 in Austin.
