A Pedro man will spend four years in prison for a variety of drug and other charges.

Steve R. Akers, 42, of 1803 State Route 93, had pleaded guilty in October to possession of criminal tools, trafficking in marijuana and two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs from one indictment and two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs from a second indictment.

He was sentenced Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. Judge Charles Cooper sentenced Akers to a total of three years in prison on those charges, but because some of the charges had firearm specifications, an additional year was added to his sentence, bringing his total time behind bars to four years. If Akers stays out of trouble, he may be eligible for early release.

“It is up to you what’s going to happen to you,” Cooper told him. “The two things I look at when I consider a request for judicial release is, what has that person’s conduct been while they were incarcerated and (if they have) paid their fines. I want to emphasize to you your conduct is something that only you can control while you are incarcerated.”

Akers was also fined $35,000 in permissive and mandatory fines. Permissive fines are fines levied at the discretion of the court; mandatory fines are set by the state legislature as part of the penalty for a crime.

He must also forfeit several weapons and cash confiscated during a search of his residence.

“I’d like to apologize for what I’ve done,” Akers told Cooper. He asked to stay out of jail until after Christmas, a request Cooper granted to allow Akers to take care of a medical problem before he is incarcerated.