A former West Valley City man who fled the state in the middle of his tax-evasion trial has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Hiram Drane, 46, was representing himself in March 2009 when he walked out during a break in his trial and didn't returned. Drane, who was convicted in absentia of four felony counts, was arrested by federal marshals in North Carolina in November.

Drane was sentenced Monday by 3rd District Judge Judith Atherton to a year in the Salt Lake County jail and ordered him to pay more than $8,600 in restitution. Atherton did not give Drane credit for the time he has spent in custody since his November arrest.

According to the Utah Tax Commission, Drane failed to pay taxes on more than $100,000 in wages and several thousand dollars in capital gains from stock sales throughout 2005 and 2006.

Aaron Falk