Several defendants entered guilty pleas recently in Wayne County Circuit Court.
55-year-old Elizabeth Garcia of Brandon, Florida, pleaded guilty to reckless driving. She was placed on 12 months of court supervision and ordered to pay court costs. As part of a plea agreement, two additional counts were dismissed.
35-year-old Lucas Rogers of Albion pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. Rogers was sentenced to one year of court supervision and ordered to pay court costs. Under the terms of the plea agreement, two other counts were dismissed. During the supervision period, Rogers is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle except when traveling to and from his place of employment.
25-year-old Charles Hughett of Fairfield pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to 12 months of conditional discharge and ordered to pay court costs. Court records indicate Hughett remains on probation in two Lawrence County cases through July 11th.
24-year-old Aubrey E. Nowlan appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded guilty to Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. The charge resulted from a December 7, 2025 incident when Wayne County deputies responded to a criminal damage complaint. While en route, deputies were advised the suspect vehicle had fled the scene. Officers later located the vehicle after it had been involved in a crash near the intersection of County Roads 1500 North and 900 North. Deputies found two juveniles who had not been properly secured in the vehicle, along with two adults. Nowlan was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine and endangering the life or health of a child. She was also cited for several traffic violations, including failure to wear a seatbelt, child restraint violations, disregarding a traffic control device, and failure to reduce speed. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Nowlan was sentenced to two years of probation, ordered to pay court costs, complete 30 hours of public service, and serve three days in jail with credit for time already served. Court records also noted Nowlan has other pending or prior legal matters in neighboring counties, including a pending domestic battery case in Clay County.
Also appearing in court was 48-year-old Phillip Ray Jr. of Johnsonville, who pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to two years of conditional discharge, ordered to pay court costs, and received credit for three days served in the Wayne County Jail. In exchange for the plea, one count and two separate cases were dismissed.