An Ashland man will be under court supervision for the next five years after being sentenced Monday in Schuylkill County Court for unlawfully possessing firearms.
William E. Coward III, 42, must spend six months under house arrest with electronic monitoring, plus an additional 4 1/2 years on probation, under the terms of Judge John E. Domalakes' sentence.
Domalakes also sentenced Coward to pay costs and $100 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and forfeit ammunition and all but one of the seized guns, which will be returned to its owner. The judge made the sentence effective on Dec. 10.
Coward pleaded guilty on Oct. 17 to nine counts of prohibited possession of firearms. Prosecutors withdrew an additional count of prohibited possession of firearms, plus five counts each of possession of a controlled substance and adulterated or misbranded controlled substance and one each of receiving stolen property and violation of limitations on driving on the left side of the road.
Butler Township police had charged Coward with possessing one of the firearms on April 7, 2011, and the other eight on April 8, 2011, in the township.
Also in the county court, Senior Judge D. Michael Stine found Henry E. Watkins, 51, of Minersville, not guilty on Wednesday of indirect criminal contempt, which is contempt committed outside the courtroom, for allegedly violating a protection from abuse order.
Minersville police had charged Watkins with violating the order about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 2 on Sunbury Street in the borough by having contact with Nicole L. Nelson.
"He was driving slowly beside us at first," Nelson testified. "He was leaning over, just yelling."
Watkins, on the other hand, testified he was not even on Sunbury Street at that time.
"Nicole has been saying she was going to get me," he said. "I had no contact with Nicole."
Domalakes had entered the order against Watkins on June 20.