GALLIPOLIS — A man accused of obstructing justice while aiding James E. Gardner as he eluded law enforcement last November, was recently ordered to pay a fine in an unrelated criminal case.

Lyndon M. Montgomery, Sr., 52, Crown City, pleaded guilty to a falsification charge last week in the Common Pleas Court of Gallia County and was ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $1,000 and to pay the costs of prosecution in relation to the case.

The defendant was initially charged with the illegal conveyance of drugs onto the grounds of a detention facility, a third degree felony, in December.

Montgomery was arrested on November 30 after it was discovered that he had been providing transportation and shelter to Gardner, 41, Middleport, who had been fleeing police officers following his father’s death on November 11.

The indictment in this case, filed on December 13, alleges that Montgomery attempted to smuggle marijuana into the Gallia County Jail following his arrest for obstructing justice in late November.

According to the police report, on the afternoon of November 30, Montgomery was brought into the jail by an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

After being asked if he had anything on his person that he should not have, the defendant reportedly responded that he did not. However, while a corrections officer took inventory of the defendant’s property, Montgomery allegedly threw an empty cigarette pack containing approximately six grams of marijuana into a nearby trash can.

He was subsequently charged with the illegal conveyance of drugs onto the grounds of a detention facility, and, following his arraignment on December 14, he was released on an own recognizance bond.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Montgomery pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of falsification, a first degree misdemeanor, after negotiating a plea, and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine in relation to this case.

A preliminary hearing in regard to Montgomery’s obstructing justice charge was held in the Gallipolis Municipal Court on December 6. Subsequently, the case against the defendant was bound over to the Gallia County Common Pleas Court where it was expected to be heard by a grand jury.

However, as of press time, while the criminal transcript from the Gallipolis Municipal Court had been received by the Gallia County Clerk of Courts, no other documents have been filed in this case.

Gardner, who was arrested on December 7 by Gallia County Sheriff’s Deputies in the southern portion of Gallia County following a lengthy, multi-agency man hunt, has been charged in the Meigs County Common Pleas Court with aggravated murder for the death of his father, James W. Gardner, on November 11, 2012.

The body of Gardner’s father was found at the residence where the two resided on Wells Road near the Meigs-Gallia county line during the evening hours of November 11.

The younger Gardner was labeled as a person of interest in this case and remained on the run until his arrest by deputies in December.

A trial in the case against Gardner is scheduled for April 9 in the Meigs County Common Pleas Court. He remains in the custody of the Meigs County Sheriff under a $900,000 bond.