By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA—A Gilbertown man will spend the next three years in prison after pleading guilty on June 4 to trafficking methamphetamine. The guilty plea follows a March 10 arrest by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force.

The Task Force acted on a tip regarding a dealer transporting methamphetamine into Shelby County, which led to the arrest of Thurman Dewayne Pearson, 31, in the parking lot of a Pelham business. Fifty-seven grams of methamphetamine were discovered in his vehicle at the time of his arrest.

According to court documents, Pearson pled guilty to trafficking methamphetamine, a Class A felony, and was originally sentenced to 15 years in jail. Circuit Judge Dan Reeves split the sentence, meaning Pearson will serve the first three years in the Alabama Penitentiary, followed by three years of supervised probation.