A Douglas County judge Thursday sentenced a 24-year-old Ottawa man to serve one year on probation for convictions in a recent Lawrence battery case and a 2011 domestic battery case.

Joshua Jeffcoat had pleaded no-contest last Friday to simple battery in connection with a Jan. 11 incident in which another man was injured at a party in the 1100 block of Mississippi Street. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors reduced an aggravated battery charge and dropped a theft count that were filed after Jeffcoat was accused of stealing a vehicle from a convenience store and driving to Ottawa.

“Every time I went to jail, it’s because I’ve been drinking too much,” Jeffcoat said to District Judge Sally Pokorny.

He also said he had not had a drink since he was released on bond late last week and had attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Pokorny said during his probation Jeffcoat needed to continue with therapy programs and seek substance abuse treatment.

“A lot of people can be sober for five days,” Pokorny said. “It’s the rest of your life that is the hard part.”

He faces a six-month jail sentence if he’s found to violate terms of his probation. In the domestic battery case, he was fined $500 and also must take classes in domestic violence prevention.