DRUG TRAFFICKING CONVICTION LEADS TO 10-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR SPARTANBURG MAN

A Spartanburg man received a 10-year prison sentence today after he was found guilty of possessing 18.5 grams of crack cocaine.

A jury found Eric P. Simpson, 35, of 324 Woodley Road, guilty of trafficking crack cocaine at the conclusion of a two-day trial. Circuit Judge J. Derham Cole issued the sentence.

Simpson was charged with the crime on Aug. 15, 2002. He was taken into police custody at an Ammons Road home. Agents with the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services went to the residence to serve a probation violation warrant on another person. During a search of the home, the probation agents found Simpson hiding in a shower. Two bags of crack were found on the floor. A third bag was found in a near-by clothes hamper.

Simpson’s criminal record includes convictions for possession of marijuana and possession of cocaine. He will serve 85 percent of the prison sentence before he is eligible for release.