A Griggsville man arrested in a drug bust in Pittsfield this past January was sentenced to prison time in Pike County Circuit Court this past week.
John J. Bridgewater, 41, of Griggsville was found guilty of Class 3 felony possession of methamphetamine less than 5 grams and Class A misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in a two-day bench trial in Pike County Circuit Court in mid-October. According to court records, Bridgewater then failed to appear at a sentencing hearing on December 15 but was subsequently arrested on December 17.
Bridgewater was arrested along with two other men during an execution of a search warrant by Pittsfield Police and Pike County Sheriff’s deputies on January 4 at a residence located in the 500 block of Kellogg Street in Pittsfield. Officers were said to have encountered two subjects running from the back of the residence. Officers located and detained one of the subjects. The second subject turned himself in to law enforcement on January 6. At the time of his arrest, the Pike County Sheriff’s Department indicated that Bridgewater was a prior methamphetamine offender and had served time in prison for the offense.
Bridgewater was sentenced on December 17 in front of visiting 8th Circuit Judge Michael Atterberry to a total of 8 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and fined $1,000. Bridgewater was also ordered to pay court costs and given credit for 29 days served in the Pike County Jail.