Area man sentenced for July drug charge

Joseph Bochin, 23, of Athens was sentenced, Sept. 10, to 30 days in the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville, 100 hours of community service and five years of community control, which is like probation, according to Athens County Court of Common Pleas records.

Bochin pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated possession of drugs, which is a third-degree felony, on July 6, according to a press release from the Athens County prosecuting attorney's office.

He also needs to obtain and keep employment during the probation. If violated, he could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail, according to court records.

Bochin was involved in a May 2000 drug bust at the Amerihost Inn, 20 Home St., but the charges against him in that case were dismissed in Sept. 2000.

Bochin's attorney, K. Robert Toy, could not be reached for comment.

–Stephanie Corbin