A 35-year-old man from New Orleans was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of possessing two pounds of marijuana with the intent to distribute, according to a report in The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

It was the fourth marijuana conviction for Cornell Hood II, and likely his last as a free man.

Louisiana allows life sentences to be handed down in cases where the accused has three prior convictions. In this case, the prosecutor used that provision to argue that Hood is a hardened, career criminal worthy of severe punishment.

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Hood was caught for the fourth time on Sept. 27, 2010, when his new probation officer in St. Tammany Parish discovered the cache of marijuana in his home, where he lived with his mother and son.

He was sentenced late last week in Covington by state Judge Raymond S. Childress.

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