FAYETTE COUNTY — A 47-year-old St. Elmo man has been sentenced to 9-years in prison after a Fayette County jury found him guilty last month on multiple drug-related charges.

Thomas J. McCall, who has been held in the Fayette County Jail since his September arrest, once again refused to participate in the court proceedings and refused to attend his sentencing hearing.

McCall refused to attend his jury trial in August and after the court informed him of his Sixth Amendment right to be present the trial moved forward without him.

The jury found him guilty of Class X felony unlawful possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, Class 1 unlawful possession of methamphetamine, Class 2 unlawful use of property, and Class 4 unlawful possession of cannabis.

Then on Friday McCall again waived his Sixth Amendment rights and refused to attend his sentencing hearing. It too moved forward without him and he was sentenced to 9-years in the Illinois Department of Corrections

McCall was arrested after a surveillance operation led to a search warrant in September 2016 of his St. Elmo residence that revealed a sizable amount of drugs.

A search of the residence turned up over 60 grams of methamphetamine, over 100 grams of cannabis, various drug paraphernalia and cash.

McCall repeatedly refused to cooperate with court events since his arrest, including the formal filing of charges, the August jury trial, and Friday’s sentencing.