Jeannette man sentenced to up to 7 years for drug possession

A Jeannette man will serve up to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to drug offenses following a traffic stop in North Huntingdon and Sewickley townships last year.

Harold Louis Shields IV, 37, formerly of Pittsburgh, was arrested after a March 16, 2018, incident in which police said he fled after authorities attempted to stop a vehicle in which he was as a passenger.

According to court records, police tried to stop the vehicle in North Huntingdon because it had a broken license plate light. The vehicle sped up and traveled into Herminie. Shields ran from the vehicle as it slowed and was captured after a short chase. He was found with more than $7,000 in cash and six ounces of cocaine, police said. Some of the drugs spilled onto the ground during the chase, police said.

In court on Tuesday, Shields, via a video connection from the state prison in Greene County, pleaded guilty to three drug-related counts. One charge of fleeing from police was dismissed.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio sentenced Shields to serve 3 1/2 -to-7 years in prison. That sentence will run concurrent to a 2-to-4-year state prison sentence Shields is currently serving. He pleaded guilty in Allegheny County in May to firearms offenses.