$50 drug sale results in eight-year prison sentence

A former Holt County resident will spend several years imprisoned in Nebraska Department of Corrections facility after recent convictions. Last week’s convictions cleared several cases dating back more than a year from both the district and county court dockets in Holt County.

The Honorable Mark Kozicek sentenced Torrey Peterson, 26, of Doniphan to not less than 42 months, nor more than 96 months, on a Class 2 felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. The crime was committed Nov. 15, 2018, in O’Neill, when he was arrested in an undercover operation involving several law enforcement agencies.

Peterson was given credit for 50 days previously served in the Holt County jail. In addition, Kozicek sentenced him to serve six to 12 months for operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, a Class 1 misdemeanor committed Dec. 10, 2018, the time to be served consecutive to the sentence in the first case. He was also sentenced to a concurrent term of six to 12 months for a conviction of a Class I misdemeanor, obstructing a police officer on Dec. 10, as well as a $300 fine for possession of marijuana, an infraction also committed Dec. 10.

Peterson changed his not guilty pleas to guilty in the two cases, as well as three counts in a pending county court case and a third district court case was dismissed by Brent Kelly, county prosecutor, per terms of a plea agreement. As part of the deal reached in July, Kelly also agreed not to pursue further criminal charges related to execution of a search warrant in another investigation.

In Holt County court the following day, the Honorable Kale Burdick sentenced Peterson to seven days in jail, to be served concurrent to the district court sentences, a $500 fine and revoked his driver’s license for six months on a conviction of driving under the influence of drugs, first offense, a Class W misdemeanor committed in July 2018; a $100 fine for possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction; a $25 fine for driving on the shoulder of a highway, also an infraction; and $50 costs.

Peterson was also sentenced by Burdick to two days in jail, also concurrent to his other jail sentences, and costs of $50, on a Class 2 misdemeanor count of no proof of insurance committed in August 2018. A charge of no valid registration was dropped per terms of a plea agreement in that case.