WAXAHACHIE, Texas - A Duncanville man with multiple prior felony convictions has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after an Ellis County jury convicted him of cocaine possession under Texas' habitual offender law.
Ellis County and District Attorney Lindy Beaty announced that on July 30, a jury convicted 36-year-old Archie McNeal III of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Penalty Group 1.
McNeal was originally charged with the second-degree felony offense of Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance. He pleaded not guilty, but jurors found him guilty of the lesser-included third-degree felony offense of possession.
The case stemmed from a traffic stop conducted by a Waxahachie police officer at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 27, 2025.
According to prosecutors, the officer ran the license plate on McNeal's vehicle and discovered it had unconfirmed insurance before initiating a traffic stop. During the encounter, the officer detected the odor of marijuana and searched the vehicle.
Investigators found a backpack in the trunk containing five individual bags of marijuana weighing a total of 1.08 ounces, six empty plastic bags, 3.5 grams of cocaine and 20 empty blue "dime-size" bags commonly used to package narcotics.
McNeal was also carrying two cell phones and $900 in cash, all in $20 bills.
Prosecutors argued the quantity of drugs, packaging materials and cash were consistent with narcotics trafficking, leading to his original arrest on the charge of possession with intent to deliver.
During the punishment phase of the trial, the jury found two prior felony enhancement allegations to be true, making McNeal eligible for sentencing under Texas' habitual offender law, which carries a punishment range of 25 years to 99 years or life in prison.
The jury sentenced McNeal to 25 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
"The citizens of Ellis County have spoken. Life is all about choices, and the choices you make have consequences," lead prosecutor Kelsey Thompson said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant County and District Attorneys Kelsey Thompson and Kevin Boneberg with assistance from Ellis County and District Attorney Investigator Stephen Cooper. Waxahachie Police Officer Angel Murray led the investigation.
