A San Juan Island man with a history of drug-related crimes will be allowed to work off part of the penalties for his most recent conviction, and then serve the rest of a six-month jail term at home. On Nov. 18, Timothy Wayne Stephens, 46, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of possession of a controlled substance — heroin, a Class C felony.

Under the sentence handed down Dec. 9 by Judge Don Eaton, Stephens was ordered to serve six months and one day in jail, three months of which he will be allowed to serve on the Sheriff’s Department work crew. He will be allowed to serve the remainder of that jail term, three months and one day, at home, under electronic surveillance.

He was also ordered to pay $1,250 in fines and fees. According to court documents, Stephens was found sleeping inside his car in the parking lot of Inter Island Medical Center in mid-afternoon of March 12. He reportedly had small amounts of heroin, marijuana, prescription medication, as well as drug paraphernalia, in his possession at that time. He was also wanted on an arrest warrant at that time for failure to comply with court orders on a prior drug-related felony conviction.

In 2005, Stephens pleaded guilty to two counts of selling methamphetamine, a Class B felony, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Following his arrest in March, Stephens initially was charged with possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor and possession of heroin.

The misdemeanor charge was dismissed after he pleaded guilty to the felony drug offense.  A Class C felony, possession of heroin carries maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both; however, the standard range of sentencing set by the state is, given Stephens prior convictions, 6-18 months in jail.