Austin man sentenced to jail time, supervised probation on felony drug and misdemeanor DWI charges in Mower County District Court

An Austin man facing felony drug sale and possession charges in Mower County District Court stemming from an incident that took place on October 4th, 2020 has been sentenced to jail time and supervised probation in Mower County District Court.

45-year old John Herbert Merten was convicted and sentenced Thursday to five years of supervised probation for a felony charge of 3rd degree drugs, possession of 10 grams or more of a narcotic other than heroin.  A 68-month prison sentence was stayed for five years in Merten complies with the terms of his probation, and he was also sentenced to 61 days in jail for a misdemeanor charge of DWI, operating a motor vehicle with the body containing any amount of Schedule I or II drugs, not marijuana.   Merten was given credit for 61 days already served, and he pleaded guilty to the felony 3rd degree drug charge on July 19th.

A felony charge for 2nd degree drugs, sale of 10 grams or more of a narcotic other than heroin, subsequent offense in the case was dismissed with Merten’s guilty plea.