By Kimberly Pistone
For the Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — Paul A. Kirkland, 33, currently in the Shelby County Jail, pled guilty to one count of having weapons while under disability, a third degree felony, for possessing and using a semi-automatic shotgun while under disability, having previously been convicted of trafficking in drugs in the Miami County Common Pleas Court in three separate cases.
A jury was called on Oct. 1 for the case against Kirkland. Attorneys William Zimmerman Jr. and Laura Waymire went through the process of selecting a jury, with 12 residents of Shelby County empaneled along with one alternate in case of need.
After the jury was selected, there was a short recess. During the recess, Kirkland decided to change his plea from not guilty to guilty. After the recess, the jury was dismissed.
Zimmerman and Waymire presented a joint sentencing recommendation to Judge James Stevenson, but Stevenson does not have to follow it when he sentences Kirkland on Nov. 15.
