A Belpre man was sentenced via video to 29 years in prison Wednesday morning after a jury trial in March.

Tytus Shields, 31, 1572 Elizabeth St. Apt. A, Belpre, was found guilty in Washington County Common Pleas Court on seven counts, including two counts of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, both first-degree felonies; one count of possession of a controlled substance, a first-degree felony; one count of receiving proceeds of an offense subject to forfeiture proceedings, a fifth-degree felony; and three counts of having weapons while under disability, all third-degree felonies.

He was also classified as a major drug offender.

During a drug bust in June 2020 at his residence and at a neighboring apartment, about 200 grams of suspected fentanyl were found in a safe inside apartment C and Washington County Prosecutor Nicole Coil said during the trial that Shields had a key to that safe and the apartment itself.

Eighty-four grams of suspected fentanyl were found in the glovebox of a BMW in the apartment parking lot and Coil said during the trial that Shields claimed all of the items found were his including three guns and more than $18,000 in cash.

It was noted during the sentencing that Shields had been on post release control at the time of the offense.

Coil requested a sentence of 31 years as she believes Shields thinks drug trafficking isn’t a crime, it’s a way of life.

He was proud of it and was open about it with police, she said.

He lacks remorse as he felt he is innocent because his drugs were located at someone else’s home.

During his presentence investigation, he scored lower on his Ohio Risk Assessment System than he should have, she said. Later, Common Pleas Judge Mark Kerenyi agreed, as he should have been scored higher because he lived in a neighborhood where drugs were readily available and he has friends who use drugs.

He scored a 22, but should have scored a 24, Coil said, making him high risk for reoffending.

Assistant Prosecutor David Silwani said there were factors making him higher risk, including Shield’s long history of convictions and his lack of remorse.

Defense attorney William Summers said his client showed some remorse for his situation. He asked for counts 1 and 2 to be run concurrently as they were the same drug, just found in different locations.

In his own defense, Shields said no one was perfect, including himself and he felt like he was treated unfairly as others convicted from the same drug bust were given lesser prison time.

The vast majority of his 29 years was mandatory, such as 11 years for counts one and three, to run concurrently, 12 months for committing the offense while on PRC, and eight years for being classified as a major drug offender.

He had prior felony convictions for drugs, placing him under disability, preventing him from owning or possessing a firearm. One of the firearms located was stolen from Wood County. His weapons, BMW, Ford Mustang and more than $16,000, were all forfeited.

Along with the 29 years in prison, Kerenyi gave Shields a mandatory $10,000 fine and his driver’s license will be suspended for five years after his release from prison. He will also be on post release control for five years.

Kerenyi said his offenses were part of organized crime activity and his adult offenses dated back to 2007.

“You already served lengthy time for trafficking,” he said. Shields served another long sentence for trafficking, which was ‘engaging in a pattern of activity’.

He said Shields was not rehabilitated and showed no remorse. His ORAS score was artificially low and while he was out on bond on this case, he committed a federal arms offense.