Escondido

A former Escondido firefighter was sentenced Wednesday to a year in County Jail for possessing methamphetamine for sale.

Shawn Silva, 29, of Escondido, had worked as a firefighter for six years but was fired after charges were filed against him in August. Silva was found guilty Feb. 19 of two methamphetamine counts and a weapons charge.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Charles Hayes placed Silva on five years’ probation and gave him credit for 110 days already spent in jail.

Although the prosecutor urged a prison sentence, the judge noted that only 3.6 grams of methamphetamine were found in Silva’s home and that “there’s no evidence he was a major dealer of drugs.”

Hayes also said there was no evidence that Silva had used drugs while on the job.