Rudolph Chavez (Jail photo)

WACO (January 10, 2013)--A Waco man who was removed from the courtroom after he became unruly was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after he was found guilty on a drug charge.

State District Judge Ralph Strother imposed the sentence on Rudolph Chavez after the jury returned the punishment after deliberating for less than an hour.

During the punishment phase of the trial on Thursday, Strother had Chavez forcibly removed from the courtroom and taken to a courthouse holding cell because the defendant became unruly.

The jury also found Chavez, 41, is a habitual offender because he had two prior convictions for felonies of a similar nature.

Chavez’s conviction Wednesday stems from an arrest in September 2011 after agents of the Waco police Drug Enforcement Unit served a search warrant on a North Waco home.