A Lopez Island man who acted as his own attorney while facing a drug-related felony will serve 10 days in jail, or on work crew, after pleading guilty to a lesser offense.

On Sept. 19, Elijah Clenton Yarbrough, 35, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of solicitation to possess a controlled substance – marijuana in excess of 40 grams – a gross misdemeanor. He was ordered to serve 10 days in jail as part of a two-year suspended sentence, and to pay $1,150 in fines and fees.

He was credited with having served two days of the sentence and will be allowed to serve the remaining eight on work crew, in lieu of jail.

Arrested Sept. 10 for felony drug possession, Yarbrough, a music major in college, opted to act as his own attorney in the case. Nine days after his arrest, he pleaded guilty to, and was sentenced on, the lesser offense.

According to court documents, Yarbrough was apprehended the day after a deputy, who responded to a neighbor’s call concerning a dog being trapped inside a car on a hot day near Yarbrough’s home, noticed pot plants growing on the property. Though fears about the dog’s safety proved unfounded, (according to the officer’s report the dog could have jumped out a window), Yarbrough was taken into custody when the officer, with a search warrant in hand, returned the following day.

A conviction for possession of more than 40 grams of marijuana, a Class C felony, carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. A gross misdemeanor, solicitation to possess a controlled substance carries maximum penalties of one year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.