DaJohnnius Ross, 29, of Flint, Mich., was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison, with a requirement that he first serve three years, and three years of supervised probation for possession with intent to deliver a fentanyl compound in Minot on May 26.

Judge Doug Mattson also ordered Ross to obtain a chemical dependency evaluation and to pay $900 in court costs.

Ross will receive credit for 69 days already served in the Ward County Jail plus nine days off for good behavior.

Mattson also ordered Ross to complete his GED while he is incarcerated as a precondition for him to be considered for parole.

Ross has prior felony convictions but told the judge he had not been in trouble for about seven years and he just got involved with the wrong people. One of the “wrong people” is someone who lives in Minot, he told the judge.

Ross also said that he makes his money from his music and disc jockey work.

Mattson said it does not appear that Ross’s current “pickle” is connected to a drug addiction but is a way for him to make money, which is why Mattson is encouraging Ross to complete his GED. More education will give Ross more options when he seeks employment. Ross told the judge he quit high school in his junior year but had completed some of the work for his GED the last time he was incarcerated. Mattson said he will now have more time to do that in prison in North Dakota and will have the advantage of not having to do it via distance learning.

The state dropped a Class C felony possession of fentanyl charge against Ross under the terms of a plea deal.

Ross was in possession of about 20 grams of fentanyl, according to the probable cause affidavit filed with the court. The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation obtained a warrant for room 104 at the Quality Inn & Suites in Minot. Ross was the only occupant of the room. In a locked safe, law enforcement officers found a plastic bag with multiple plastic bags with gray powder, a digital scale with residue, a package of ziplock bags, and a dish with gray residue. Ross was also in possession of $1,166 in U.S. currency.

Ross is one of several men from the Detroit area who have been charged with intent to deliver fentanyl in the Minot area over the past several months.

Mattson also told Ross that he was fortunate to receive this plea deal and a more severe sentence would not have been unwarranted. Mattson said the number of deaths from drug overdoses, including fentanyl, is up this year over last year.