The truck driver involved in the accident in which Paton farmer Pat Fields was killed last summer could be sentenced to up to a year and a month in jail following a trial held Thursday in Greene County district court.
Troy Michael Shaw, 26, of Harcourt waived his right to a jury trial and was found guilty by the Honorable Joseph B. McCarville in a trial by testimony of possession of heroin. He was also found guilty of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Pat Fields, 46, on June 6, 2017, was driving his tractor eastbound on County Road E-18 east of Paton when Shaw, driving a semi tractor-trailer, struck him from the rear. Fields’ tractor entered the north ditch and rolled on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigating state trooper interviewed Shaw, received a written statement, and allowed him to leave the scene. Shaw’s vehicle was totaled and the trooper arranged to have it towed from the scene. It was during a vehicle inventory that a spoon with burn marks on the bottom, a pop can cut in half with burn residue in it, and cotton balls were found in the cab of the truck. The residue was determined at the DCI to be heroin.
At the trial, McCarville questioned whether Shaw knowingly and intentionally had those items in his truck. Shaw’s attorney, John Flynn, said he did.
Possession of heroin is a serious misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a $1,500 fine and up to one year incarceration. Possession of drug paraphernalia is a simple misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $625 and up to 35 days in jail.
Shaw was also found guilty of two moving violations – failure to maintain control and failure to stop in the assured clear distance. Both are scheduled violations that carry a $100 fine.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 12 at 1:30 pm.
