By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

Two people labeled by a prosecutor as among the county’s “top three” drug traffickers were sentenced to over 10 years in prison Wednesday.

Twenty-two-year-old Kyle Slone and 19-year-old Dallas Carroll, both of Bucyrus, had just appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Monday to be arraigned on a first-degree felony of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and a second-degree felony of possession of drugs (oxycodone), which exceeded five times the bulk amount. Judge Sean Leuthold had set bond at $1 million for both offenders.

Slone and Carroll were taken into custody on Feb. 25 for initial charges of probation violations during a search of their Wingert Street home. During the search by detectives from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Ohio Adult Parole Authority seized a large quantity of prescription medications, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and U.S. currency.

“Upon speaking to both Dallas Carroll and Kyle Slone, they both gave admissions and admitted to extensive trafficking in pharmaceutical drugs in the Crawford County area,” said assistant county prosecutor Ryan Hoovler. “So much so that I believe they could easily be defined as top three drug traffickers in the area.”

Slone had been on the court’s intervention in lieu of conviction program at the time of his arrest while Carroll had been on community control for two 2014 cases.

“The court finds that this is an extremely, extremely serious case in trafficking in drugs,” Leuthold said gravely, noting that the first- and second-degree felonies were the most serious felonies a person could receive. He believed that a lengthy prison sentence was appropriate in the two cases.

Slone admitted to violating his intervention program when he was found in possession of Xanax, Percocet, Neurontin, and marijuana; admitted to trafficking in drugs; and tested positive for opiates, benzodiazepines, and marijuana. Leuthold then implemented Slone’s guilty plea that had originally been held until he successfully completed the intervention program. Slone was sentenced to a total of two years for receiving stolen property and possession of drugs.

Slone then proceeded to plead guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and possession of drugs. Leuthold sentenced him to 10 years on the first-degree felony and eight years on the second-degree felony. The two prison sentences will be served concurrent with each other for a total of 10 years but will be consecutive to the two-year prison sentence for a total of 12 years.

Slone also had his driver’s license suspended for six months and was ordered to pay a $7,500 mandatory drug fine. He must forfeit any drug-related property currently being held to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. currency found at the time of the Wingert Street search, in the amount of $2,493, must also be forfeited to the Sheriff’s Office.

Carroll admitted to violating the terms of her community control when she was found in possession of Xanax, Percocet, Neurontin, and marijuana; admitted to trafficking in illegal drugs; and tested positive for opiates and marijuana. For violating her community control, Leuthold sentenced Carroll to 24 months on the illegal conveyance of drugs onto a detention facility charge and 12 months on the possession of drugs charge for a totally of 36 months.

Carroll also pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and possession of drugs. Leuthold sentenced her to two concurrent eight-year sentences. That sentence will be served consecutively to the 36-month sentence for a total of 11 years in prison.

Carroll also had her driver’s license suspended for six months and was ordered to pay a $7,500 mandatory drug fine. She must forfeit any drug-related property currently being held to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.

“Major drug dealers pose a tremendous risk to innocent people in our community. It’s a risk that I am entrusted to protect,” Leuthold said.

“This is the wrong county to be dealing and trafficking in drugs. The people of Crawford County will not tolerate trafficking in drugs, preying on innocent people, and profiting from the misery of others,” he added, his voice seeming to boom throughout the courtroom. “I’ve taken over a decade of your lives away from you. I hope you learned your lesson.”