Chase Tanner, 32, of Bradenton will finish a 120-day jail sentence on June 20, following a conviction for a third-degree felony for possession of fentanyl, a controlled substance about 50 times more potent than heroin.
Tanner also was found guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Holmes Beach police arrested Tanner last August after finding him and another individual on the beach near 77th Street around 4 a.m.
Tanner was arrested for possessing a piece of aluminum foil and a hypodermic syringe, as well as pieces of foil with burnt residue and a baggie containing fentanyl near him.
He faced up to six years in prison, six years of probation and fines totaling up to $6,000 for his two charges, ultimately his no contest plea may have earned him a lighter sentence.
Circuit Judge Stephen Mathew Whyte ruled Feb. 27 to find Tanner guilty of the two charges. Whyte sentenced him to serve 120 days in county jail, with six days credited for time served incarcerated ahead of conviction.
Whyte also suspended Tanner’s driver’s license for six months.