A 37-year-old Bismarck man whose spat with a woman attracted the attention of Burleigh County deputies will spend 15 days in jail for the drugs found in his vehicle and pockets.

Rondal Heitsch was spotted in a Bismarck alley in late November involved in what appeared to be a domestic dispute with a 43-year-old Bismarck woman. Deputies said at the time that they circled the disturbance and moved in with lights flashing when they saw the woman running beside a moving car driven by Heitsch and grasping the door handle.

The momentum of the car knocked the woman to the ground, but she got up and entered the vehicle when Heitsch stopped for the deputies. Deputies had to separate Heitsch and the woman. Paraphernalia used to ingest methamphetamine was found in the vehicle, and a folded dollar bill and a plastic baggie with meth residue were found in Heitsch's pockets.

Heitsch was convicted of possession of meth and meth paraphernalia and was sentenced to 18 months with all but 15 days suspended for two years for each count to be served concurrently.

"Given the criminal history, this … is quite generous," South Central District Judge Robert Wefald said.

Heitsch's criminal history includes convictions for burglary, escape and attempted murder. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison after a 1988 conviction of attempted murder in Pierce County, but he received early parole.