2018 drug case deposed in Holt County district courtroom

A 2018 drug case was deposed in the Holt County district courtroom in O’Neill last Monday, June 14, with the Honorable Mark Kozisek presiding.

Mark A. Harrison, 54, of O’Neill was fined $1,000 and taxed $181.25 costs of prosecution. Harrison was arrested Dec. 7, 2018, and charged in Holt County court Jan. 7, 2019, with three counts, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to deliver, a Class 2 felony, and two Class 4 felony counts of possessing controlled substances (meth and anabolic steroids).

The probable-cause affidavit filed by arresting officers was sealed by Holt County court judge Kale Burdick.

Bond, initially set at $1 million, was amended by Burdick to $10,000 personal recognizance Dec. 20, 2018. Harrison bonded out the same day. The case was bound over to district court in January 2019.

District court hearings proceeded through July 2019, with subpoenas and other documents filed through October 2019. The case was then inactive until August 2020, when a motion was filed by Harrison’s attorney, Martin Klein, of Neligh, requesting a competency evaluation.

Kozisek ordered the evaluation be completed by Oct. 16, 2020, and provided a transportation order to accommodate it.

In February 2021, Kozisek ordered a status update on the case and set a hearing date.

Per terms of a plea deal, Holt County attorney Brent Kelly filed an amended complaint in February 2021, charging Harrison with just one count, possession of a controlled substance, meth. Harrison pleaded guilty to the reduced charge March 30.