By STEPHANIE BRUMFIELD / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – A Columbiana man who has been convicted of five prior felony charges will serve three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance Oct. 8.

Mark Araujo, 34, of Columbiana appeared before Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Dan Reeves Oct. 8 when he filed a plea of guilty regarding charges filed Sept. 7, 2012, according to court documents.

At the hearing, Araujo was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but the sentence was suspended and split between three years in the state penitentiary and three years of supervised probation after his release.

Araujo had already served 433 days in the Shelby County Jail on the day of the hearing, which will be applied to his three-year sentence. Araujo was transferred from the Shelby County Jail to the Alabama Department of Corrections Nov. 21 and is scheduled for release on July 29, 2015.

Once he is released, Araujo will be required to obey all laws and ordinances, avoid all contact with illegal drugs, and pass random drug and alcohol screenings during his probation. He will also be responsible for paying all court and medical costs incurred during his sentence as well as fines totaling $1,250.