Man gets 20 years for meth dealing

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A Scott County man arrested in May 2015 after he fled Crothersville police on a moped recently received a 20-year prison term for dealing in methamphetamine.

Patrick A. Hirstein, 44, of Austin, received that sentence from Jackson Circuit Judge Richard W. Poynter after pleading guilty to the Level 2 felony.

Poynter suspended 10 of the 20 years but ordered Hirstein to serve the remaining 10 years consecutively to any sentence he currently is serving or may have to serve in three separate Scott Circuit Court causes.

The May 27, 2015, incident that led to Hirstein’s arrest began when then Crothersville Reserve Officer Shane Collier reported seeing a man and a woman driving two mo-peds that did not have license plates north on East Street in the southeastern Jackson County town.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Collier initiated a traffic stop, turning on his lights and siren, after the two turned right off of East Street onto Preston Street.

Collier said he drove around the woman to stop the man first. The woman later was stopped by Reserve Officer Darren Hudelson and was found to be driving while suspended.

The man, later identified as Hirstein, sped up and turned west onto Walnut Street, nearly hitting the stop sign, Collier said.

He then turned north onto Jackson Street before coming to a stop.

Collier said he told Hirstein he was being stopped because the mo-ped he was driving did not have a license plate.

Hirstein said he was not aware of a new law requiring a license plate on a mo-ped and had not stopped because he had not heard the siren on Collier’s police car.

While in the process of arresting Hirstein, Crothersville Officer Brent Turner arrived at the scene carrying a small black case that a neighbor saw Hirstein throw about 15 feet away from where he had stopped, according to court records.

During a search of the case, Collier said police found several bags containing 18 grams of methamphetamine, 50 to 100 pills, including Oxymorphone or Percocet, Hydrocodine, Acetaminophen, Alprazolam and Adderall, small plastic bags and scales.

Hirstein told police the case did not belong to him, Collier said.

During a search of Hirstein, Collier said police found a large amount of cash wadded up in his right front pocket and a bag of what appeared to be methamphetamine.

At that time, Collier said Hirstein told police the money and methamphetamine found in his pockets belonged to him. He said he was not a user but was just selling meth and was on his way to meet a man at a store to do an exchange.

As part of the plea agreement, the state agreed to dismiss five other charges, including dealing in a narcotic drug, dealing in a Schedule II controlled substance, dealing in a Schedule IV controlled substance, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and operating a vehicle after being a habitual traffic violator.

Hirstein also received 54 days of credit for time served and 18 days of good time credit.

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