A Moss Point man was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in Lowndes County Circuit Court on Tuesday for drug-related charges.
Jack Avery Harrell Jr., 32, was sentenced to 15 years with the Mississippi Department of Corrections for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and five years for possession of greater than 15 grams of pseudoephedrine. Harrell pleaded guilty as a habitual offender. The sentences will run consecutive, meaning back to back.
Harrell admitted to being in Columbus on a pill run to buy ephedrine tablets to manufacture methamphetamine.
As part of his plea agreement, Harrell asked for treatment, saying, “I can’t go back to the street without some kind of help.”
Harrell told Judge Jim Kitchens he started using methamphetamine after his two-day-old son died.
“I tried meth and it was over with,” he said.
Kitchens agreed to the treatment and encouraged Harrell to continue treatment when he was released from prison, saying, “The itch is always going to be there.”
The judge added that sending Harrell to jail may save his life.
“I lock people up on meth to save their lives,” he said.
Harrell has two prior arrests for possession or sale of precursors. As a habitual offender, he will serve every day of his sentence.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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