Defendant imprisoned for trafficking in meth

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A West Liberty-are man sentenced to prison for drug trafficking was among the cases handled recently in Logan County Common Pleas Court.

Nathaniel Ripley, 41, was sentenced Wednesday, Jan. 4, by Judge Kevin P. Braig to at least three years in prison on a charge of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second-degree felony. The defendant will serve a maximum four-and-a-half years’ prison term on the charge.

May 29, 2021, members of the Logan County Unified Drug Task Force conducted a traffic stop of the suspect that resulted in the seizure of a large amount of methamphetamine, along with cash.

Logan County Unified Drug Task Force members seized methamphetamine during a traffic stop May 2021 involving defendant Nathaniel Ripley. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

During the stop, Ripley was arrested on a warrant for trafficking in methamphetamine. Detectives at the time located a large amount of meth and seized $654 cash.

•Troy Good, 38, of McGuffey, was sentenced to three years’ community control and ordered to pay court costs on two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, fifth-degree felonies.

This case dates back to July, 2020 when the defendant was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by officers of the Washington Township Police Department. During that traffic stop, officers observed suspected drug activity upon making contact with a female driver and the passenger, Good.

Good advised officers he did have a small amount of marijuana inside the door which officers located and seized. Officers then recovered a red bag on the rear seat of the vehicle that Good stated was his. Inside the red bag, officers located a glass methamphetamine pipe, a marijuana pipe, and two separate bags of a white crystal substance that Good stated was methamphetamine

Others sentenced were:

Milecha Whitacre, 45, of Lakeview, was sentenced to six months at the West Central Community Based Correctional Facility, five years’ community control and ordered to pay court costs for aggravated possession of drugs, tampering with evidence and illegal conveyance of drugs, third-degree felonies;

Gary Doseck, 57, of Bellefontaine, was sentenced to five years of community control and ordered to pay court costs on charges of trafficking in cocaine and possession of cocaine, fifth-degree felonies;

James Brandyberry, 36, of Conover, was sentenced to three years’ community control and ordered to pay court costs for possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. The defendant was also sentenced to participate in Assessment and Referral Court, which aims to help people address underlying factors that contribute to offending behaviors. ARC is a therapeutic court that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the person;

Kristie Hurless, 52, of Russells Point, was sentenced to two years’ community control and ordered to pay court costs for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony; and

Edward Langley, 36, of Kenton, was sentenced to years’ community control and ordered to pay court costs for grand theft, a fourth-degree felony.