A Holmes Beach man found guilty in two cases served 45 days in the Manatee County jail.
William Ariss Brown, 30, was sentenced in May by 12th Circuit Judge Diana Moreland after pleading no contest to charges of possessing heroin and paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license and theft.
He had faced 12 years in prison.
Brown was released from jail June 18.
His first arrest in March came after a traffic stop by the Longboat Key Police Department for driving a vehicle with an altered vehicle sticker on a revoked license. The officer found heroin and paraphernalia in his vehicle.
Brown was arrested a second time May 7 on a theft charge after taking two 5-gallon cans of paint from a Bradenton store without paying and giving them to a woman in the store parking lot, who then attempted to return the paint for gift cards.
The shoplifting was caught on video.
In addition to jail time, Brown’s sentence included a one-year suspension of his driver’s license, payment of $768 in costs, including $200 to the LBKPD, $100 to the state attorney and $50 for the public defender.
— Kathy Prucnell