LEWISTON — A local man charged with selling crack cocaine last winter pleaded guilty Monday and was sentenced to serve a year in jail.

Sharod Nunes, 40, of 125 College St. admitted to two new charges of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs. Each felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A judge in 8th District Court ordered Nunes to serve five years in prison on each of the two charges, but suspended four years of those terms, in accordance with an agreement with prosecutors and the defendant.

When freed from custody, Nunes will be on probation for three years.

If he were to violate the terms of his probation during those three years, including no possession of illegal drugs for which he is subject to random search and testing, he may be ordered to serve part or all of the four suspended years.

Nunes had been indicted by an Androscoggin County grand jury on two charges of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, each count punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Those charges were dismissed Monday after his plea and sentencing.

According to a May indictment, Nunes sold crack Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, 2018, to a confidential informant for $50 and $100, respectively. Because Nunes has a 2007 conviction from Worcester, Massachusetts, for distribution of a controlled substance, the charges had been upgraded to Class A offenses.

Nunes has prior convictions for drug possession, domestic violence assault and reckless conduct with a firearm.

Through his lawyer, Nunes told a judge he had lived locally for eight years, had a girlfriend and 5-year-old son in Lewiston and was working to rehabilitate an apartment for a local landlord.

cwilliams@sunjournal.com

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