×

3 meth-related pleas entered on Monday

Two drug dealers — and a third defendant charged with smoking methamphetamine around his child — entered guilty pleas on Monday.

Dustin E. Jordan, 39, Youngsville, and Matthew H. Bennett, 37, Warren pled guilty to charges of possession with intent to deliver.

Jordan faced charges in three separate cases.

All told, he pled guilty to charges of possession with intent to deliver, criminal use of a communications facility, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a count of tampering with evidence.

In reviewing the charges, Judge Gregory Hammond said Jordan pled guilty to selling 7.6 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on Oct. 17, 2019.

He was charged again in April 2020 for possessing a range of paraphernalia items, including baggies of methamphetamine and marijuana, marijuana max, among other items.

The tampering charge stems from a January 2020 arrest when he was found to have flushed crystal methamphetamine down the toilet when authorities came to arrest him on a felony drug warrant.

Charges not prosecuted in exchange for the plea include two counts each of possession with intent to deliver and endangering the welfare of children, criminal use of a communications facility, marijuana possession, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bennett pled guilty to two counts of possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communications facility.

Those charges stem from a Dec. 2019 buy from a confidential informant when he sold five grams of methamphetamine for $100 in a Warren County Drug Task Force operation.

He was busted again in March 2020 selling 1.5 grams of meth to a CI.

Additional counts of possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communications facility were not prosecuted in exchange for the plea.

A third defendant, Tyler Steele, Clarendon, pled guilty to two charges of recklessly endangering another person.

Hammond said those charges stem from a July 31, 2020 incident where Steele’s 5-year-old was in the room while Steele was smoking methamphetamine and then while the child was riding in Steele’s vehicle while Steele was under the influence.

At a second docket, Steele pled guilty to an August 2020 DUI charge, careless driving, general lighting requirements and operating a vehicle without a valid inspection.

Charges of endangering the welfare of children, two counts of DUI, fail to carry registration, violate hazard regulation and fail to use a safety belt were not prosecuted in exchange for the pleas.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today