A Winter Haven man was sentenced to seven years in prison in October for trafficking more than $2,000 in methamphetamine.

Alan Stroh, 56, was found guilty Oct. 14 after six jurors deliberated for about two hours. Circuit Judge Donald Jacobsen sentenced Stroh following the conviction.

Assistant State Attorney Michael Nutter prosecuted the case. Nutter told jurors that Stroh was caught “red handed” with the drugs.

Stroh was arrested during a traffic stop by a Polk County Sheriff’s detective on Jan. 10 in Winter Haven.  When deputies approached the car, Stroh was seen sitting in the backseat of a car. Once Stroh exited the car, deputies saw two bags of pills where Stroh had been sitting.

Stroh told detectives the pills belonged to the driver, not him.

But Nutter said during the trial that the 201 pills was something that an owner would have wanted nearby.

“If the meth in the back seat did belong to the driver or passenger, then you would expect them to keep them in a place where they can maintain control over them,” Nutter said.

A test at the stop determined the pills were positive for methamphetamine, and Stroh was arrested and charged with trafficking.

State Attorney Brian Haas thanks ASA Nutter and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for their work on the case.