Photo: George Michael Gage
A man was sentenced to eight years in prison during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court last Thursday.
Forty-five-year-old George Michael Gage pled to charges in one of five criminal cases. The others were dismissed by the state.
The dismissed charges included those stemming from Gage allegedly being at the center of a plan to have contraband smuggled to him while he was an inmate in the Baxter County Detention Center.
In January, a number of people were arrested for attempting to sneak two packages of menthol cigarettes to Gage.
Two other jail inmates were involved as were Gage’s estranged wife, 44-year-old Charyl Beth Gage of Gassville, and 27-year-old Lisa Caststeel of Mountain Home — a woman with whom Gage is alleged to have had a relationship.
Photos: (from left) Charyl Beth Gage and Lisa Caststeel
The only case that survived was one in which Gage violated a no contact order issued after he was arrested for domestic violence in early July last year.
On Dec. 12 last year, sheriff’s deputies were called to a residence along State Highway 126 North to check a report that Gage was actively violating the no contact order in which his estranged wife was the protected party.
When deputies arrived, they were told Gage had left the property, traveling toward Midway, and that he might be armed with a handgun.
A vehicle description was provided.
Deputies located his Ford F-250 pickup truck in the parking lot of the Dollar General Store on State Highway 5 North.
Because of the possibility Gage might be armed, deputies asked if they could search his vehicle, and he granted permission.
A search of the truck turned up drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamine. In addition, drug paraphernalia was also found.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Gage had almost 20 grams of cocaine and 6.4 grams of methamphetamine.
Gage also admitted to deputies he had violated the no contact order and had gone to his estranged wifes residence in an attempt to get her to leave with him.
Charges in the dismissed cases included stalking, terroristic threatening and several stemming from the alleged conspiracy to sneak cigarettes into the Baxter County jail.
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