A typographical error in a jury's verdict form convicting an Akron man of cocaine possession in 2005 has cut short the time he is serving in prison from 10 years to four years.

The Ohio Court of Appeals ruled last week that the error muddled the wording in the Summit County Common Pleas Court's decision convicting Calvin Eugene Wells, 36, and apparently changed the graver felony offense into a lesser one with a corresponding prison-term of only one year.

Wells, who is expected to be released soon from the county jail after serving four years of his sentence, has been appealing his case citing the erroneous verdict sentence '' ... the amount of crack cocaine was in the amount exceeding ten one hundred (100) grams.''

However, three previous lawyers failed to file his appeals on time. A new lawyer, Jason Desiderio, finally turned the table in Wells' favor.

Three appellate judges were unanimous in saying that jurors were unclear if they were convicting Wells of possessing 100 grams of cocaine or 10/100th of a gram, a first-degree felony. They decided Wells must be sentenced for the lesser offense in accordance with the law.