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Former Virginia lawmaker Fariss pleads guilty to felony gun and drug charges
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Former Virginia lawmaker Fariss pleads guilty to felony gun and drug charges

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia lawmaker has pleaded guilty to felony gun and drug charges and was sentenced to time already served in prison.

Matt Farisswho served in the House of Delegates as a Republican since 2012 before running unsuccessfully last year as an independent, pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm while in possession of an illegal drug, according to Lynchburg News & Advance.

Judge Dennis Lee Hupp sentenced Fariss in Campbell Circuit Court to three years in prison and suspended all but 20 days, according to the News & Advance.

Chuck Felmlee, an attorney for Fariss, told reporters that the former delegate had already served 22 days in jail. In late October, Fariss’ bond was revoked, court records show, and he has been in jail since then until his plea hearing.

At the arraignment hearing, prosecutors said sheriff’s deputies pulled Fariss over on March 23. During the stop, officials noticed a shotgun on Fariss’ seat. While beating Fariss, authorities found a bag of methamphetamine, according to the News & Advance.

As part of his sentence, Fariss lost the right to hold public office at the state level in Virginia or to own and possess firearms, reports said.

The former delegate’s plea follows Fariss was acquitted in March of hit and run and malicious wounding charges after it was accused last year of hitting his ex-girlfriend with his SUV after they argued. Fariss was convicted of a lesser charge of impaired driving and ordered to pay a $500 fine.