A hearing to determine whether a Pella man convicted of numerous felonies relating to an incident last April as a habitual offender was held on Wednesday at the Marion County Courthouse.
Assistant County Attorney Jared Harmon tells KNIA/KRLS News George Hettinga was found by a judge to be a habitual offender after hearing evidence, as well as a subsequent offender for being arrested for a second offense recently.
“Those enhancements significantly increase the amount of time Mr. Hettinga could face in prison,” Harmon says. “Mr. Hettinga, based upon what the jury found, is already required to go to prison–that sentence can not be suspended. However, the habitual offender enhancement would take each of the six “D” felonies that Mr. Hettinga has been convicted of and subject him to a term not to exceed 15 years on each of those, with a mandatory minimum of three years prior to being eligible for parole on each of those offenses. The second, or subsequent, enhancement, would take the manufacture of marijuana offense and put double any term he’s otherwise eligible for under that statute.”
Harmon feels that justice was served at the hearing Wednesday and when the jury convicted Hettinga on all counts on August 15th.
“It was a long time coming,” he says. “Myself and others from our office have put a lot of work in to this, law enforcement has certainly put in a lot of work to get it to this point, and the court has spoken, the jury has spoken, and Mr. Hettinga will now be held accountable for his crimes.”
Hettinga was found guilty on all eight counts, including manufacturing marijuana, a class B felony, failure to affix a drug tax stamp, five counts of possession of firearms as a convicted felon, all class D felonies, and maintaining a drug house, relating to an incident on April 20th, 2017 at his rural Pella home. Sentencing will be held on October 18th.