On Wednesday, March 2, after a period of just 25 minutes of deliberation, a Douglas County jury returned a verdict of guilty against defendant Marcus Sharp, of Conway.
The jury found the defendant guilty of operating a semi while intoxicated, first offense, and speeding at 75 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone on Highway 5 north of Ava. The offense occurred on Jan. 27, 2010, at 9:11 a.m.
The defendant was also found guilty by Associate Circuit Judge Craig Carter of the following commercial driver vehicle or equipment violations: possession of a 12 pack of beer in the cab sleeper; no current CDL medical card, logbook out of service, and trailer/equipment found to be in dangerous condition.
The defendant waived jury sentencing and requested a sentencing advisory report to be performed by the State Board of Probation and Parole. The court set Sharp’s sentencing date for May 3.
In a separate but related matter, the court, upon motion of the state, ruled in favor of the State of Missouri in overruling Sharp’s petition for a stay in his case involving revocation of his driving privileges for refusing to submit to a breath analysis. The court revoked Sharp’s driving privileges as of 12:01 a.m. on March 3, in order to allow him to return home following the trial.
The state was represented by Douglas County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Wall. The defendant was represented by defense attorney Larry Tyrrell, of Mtn. Grove.
