Valium may mean prison for Oak Harbor man

One pill may send a 41-year-old Oak Harbor man to prison.

Shaun Jackson may face a charge of possession of a controlled substance after a Department of Corrections investigator searched his backpack and found a single Valium pill, court documents state.

Because of his criminal record, Jackson could face up to two years in prison under the standard sentencing range if convicted of the charge.

According to the court documents, a Department of Corrections investigator had tracked down Jackson to his girlfriend’s home on North Whidbey last September. Jackson was wanted on a felony Department of Corrections warrant at the time.

The investigator witnessed Jackson get into a car with others and drive away. Deputies with the Island County Sheriff’s Office assisted in pulling the car over and arresting Jackson.

The investigator searched a backpack Jackson had been holding and found a small, locked container. He forced the box open and found a digital scale, several plastic bags and one Valium pill, court documents state.

Jackson was originally charged in Island County Superior Court Dec. 14 with possession of a controlled substance. The charge was amended to attempted possession of a controlled substance as part of a proposed plea bargain.

But the deputy prosecutor made a motion to re-amend the charge back to possession after the plea bargain was refused, court documents indicate.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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