A Martelle man must serve up to 25 years in prison after a Washington County jury found him guilty on class B and D felony charges this October.

County Attorney John Gish states 36-year-old Jacob Hansel was sentenced Friday for possession with intent to deliver more than five grams of methamphetamine and failure to affix a drug tax stamp. Hansel is not eligible for parole until he serves at least 8.167 years behind bars. Gish says “Hansel was introducing harmful drugs in the Riverside area, and considering he was actively resisting arrest by sheriff’s deputies and has a considerable criminal history, the minimum sentence was just.”

However, Gish adds while Hansel’s judgment, though appropriate, highlights an issue in Iowa’s sentencing laws, “Possessing at least five grams of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver carries greater punishment than most crimes of violence.” He points out Andrew Swailes who was found guilty by a jury on November 5th of sexually abusing a 15-year-old. The harshest punishment Swailes can receive at his sentencing on January 14th is 10 years in prison with no minimum.