MARION COUNTY — After eight years and nearly 30 felony and traffic charges, all cases against a 33-year-old Centralia man came to a close Wednesday in Marion County Court.

TJ Howard was sentenced Wednesday to 3-years in prison on a 2017 Class 2 felony narcotics charge. A second of the same charge in that case was dismissed, as were the remaining felony, DUI, and traffic charges against him.

According to Marion County State’s Attorney Bill Milner, many of the outstanding charges against Howard were dismissed due to evidentiary problems.

Most of the cases against Howard had been filed during the previous state’s attorney and dated back to 2011.

Howard was convicted in 2016 of a 2012 charge of felony criminal damage to property and served a 2-year prison sentence.

He’s currently serving a 3-year sentence in IDOC after being convicted in absentia in a February 2018 jury trial on two counts aggravated fleeing and eluding police and two counts driving while license suspended or revoked – all four counts are Class 4 felonies.

After twice fleeing prosecution on nearly 30 outstanding felony and traffic charges, Howard was captured in Wisconsin.  He had previously fled prosecution on the same outstanding cases and was captured in California.

While Howard was at-large the first time, the court ordered a portion of the nearly $65,000 combined bond he had posted on the numerous cases dating back to 2011 to be forfeited.

Milner says Wednesday’s sentence will have to be served concurrently to the 3-year sentence Howard is already serving.