Alexandria man goes to prison

Robert E. Miller, 50, Alexandria, was sentenced to 10-15 years for possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person and 10-15 years for the unlawful discharge of a firearm. The sentences, handed down by the honorable Vicky Johnson in Thayer County District Court Thursday morning, were made consecutive, meaning they run back-to-back.

Miller, who was arrested last September following a domestic dispute at his girlfriend’s home in Alexandria is accused of shooting up the inside of her house. He said in his defense that during an argument with his girlfriend, he took a gun away from her and emptied it. Judge Johnson commented prior to the sentencing that firing a weapon to empty it was a little hard to understand.

She also took into consideration a prior conviction from Jefferson County in 1996 and called Miller an “extremely violent” man and was in wonder that the court was not looking at a case for murder given his past record. He received 204 days of credit for time served and must pay $149 in costs.
Parole eligibility is determined by subtracting the time served from the minimum sentence and dividing the result in half.