Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 1, 1994 TAG: 9404010148
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
David Miles Hurst, the morning announcer for country station WJLM (J-93.5), was placed on probation for two years by Roanoke Circuit Judge Roy Willett.
Willett ruled that he had heard enough evidence for a conviction but delayed a final disposition in the case.
Under a law created for first-time offenders, Hurst could have the charge dismissed if he remains drug-free and out of trouble for the next two years.
Hurst, 41, had faced a second charge of possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor, but prosecutors dropped that charge in exchange for his guilty plea.
Alice Ekirch, regional drug prosecutor, gave the following summary of the case:
On the night of Dec. 22, a police officer approached a van stopped at Seventh Street and Salem Avenue Southwest and saw Hurst arguing with a woman on the sidewalk.
Hurst was arrested for being drunk in public. A subsequent search revealed a plastic baggie containing a small amount of marijuana and less than half a gram of cocaine.
Defense attorney Van Hoback said Hurst was experiencing personal problems at the time of his arrest, and that he has since received treatment for his drug use.
Hurst is still employed at WJLM, where he has worked for 12 years.
by CNB