By Krystal Smalley
news@wbcowqel.com
The three men involved in a drug bust appeared in Crawford County Municipal Court Thursday afternoon for initial appearances.
Twenty-nine-year-old Dustin Nolen, of Bucyrus, and 27-year-old Cordale Davis, of Cleveland, were charged with trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony. Twenty-six-year-old James Shope Jr., of Bucyrus, was charged with felony 5 drug possession.
Assistant prosecutor Rob Kidd alleged that Nolen and Davis sold heroin in an amount between one and five grams in the vicinity of a juvenile on March 9. Kidd indicated that though Shope was present at the time of the transaction, he was not involved in trafficking drugs.
The drug bust that occurred at 1301 Monnett Street in Bucyrus Wednesday afternoon stemmed from a long-standing drug investigation. Kidd said officers received information that a drug deal was going to take place at the residence on March 9. When officers arrived at the home they found Nolen on the premises conducting a drug deal while juvenile members of Nolen’s family were there. Heroin, cocaine, syringes, and cash were seized. The Bucyrus and Galion police departments and the METRICH Enforcement Unit assisted the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office during the arrests.
Nolen was on probation through the Crawford County Municipal Court and tested positive for cocaine, marijuana, and opiates after the arrest.
“People who are on probation are not supposed to be using cocaine, marijuana, and selling heroin,” Judge Shane Leuthold admonished.
When Nolen said he was supposed to appear for a Maryhaven counseling appointment on Thursday, Leuthold reminded him that the Municipal and Common Pleas courts had given Nolen plenty of opportunities before to get help through counseling.
“You know what, Dustin, you’re no longer a drug user – you’re a drug dealer,” Leuthold said. “Drug dealers don’t get to go to Maryhaven.”
Leuthold set Nolen’s bond at $500,000 and appointed Brian Gernert as his attorney. If found guilty, Nolen could face a maximum of 36 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
With no ties to the community, Kidd believed Davis posed a flight risk and recommended a $500,000 bond for the third-degree felony.
Davis said he had never been in trouble before and was only at the residence to pick Nolen up and take him back to Cleveland to do some drywall work.
“I don’t know what they was doing,” Davis explained to Leuthold.
The judge agreed with the $500,000 bond recommendation, ordered Davis to have no contact with his co-defendants, and appointed Andrew Motter as his attorney. The felony carries a maximum penalty of 36 months in prison.
The final co-defendant from the drug bust, Shope, received a slightly smaller bond. He admitted to officers that he used heroin the day before the drug bust and confessed to being a drug addict. Shope stated in court that he cooperated with police and gave himself up.
“There’s a big difference between a guy who is a drug dealer and a drug user,” Leuthold said to Shope.
Leuthold explained a drug user was an immediate danger to his or her self, but they could also end up committing crimes in the community to support their drug habit. As a result, Leuthold set bond for Shope at $100,000, appointed Brad Starkey as his attorney, and ordered him to have no contact with his co-defendants.
The fifth-degree felony carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and a $2,500 fine.
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