A Chillicothe man was sentenced to a total of six years of community control from two separate cases for multiple charges of receiving stolen property, among other charges, in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

Michael Colter, Jr., 19, was sentenced from two separate cases with the first case being for failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony, and the other count for receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony. The second case consisted of one count of receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony, and one count of aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony.

For the first case, court records stated that Colter was ordered to successfully complete the Star treatment program and aftercare. It also said that his driver’s license was suspended for three years.

According to court records for the first case, while a patrol officer was on patrol on Sept. 29, 2022, they saw a Chevrolet truck headed westbound on South Street in Greenfield at around 5:31 a.m. The patrol officer turned their cruiser around to follow the truck, after which the truck “rapidly turned,” resulting in the patrol officer losing sight of the vehicle. The patrol officer found the truck “several” minutes later parked at a stop sign facing northbound on Juvenile Street by Blain Street.

After the truck stayed at the spot for some time, it continued northbound. The patrol officer continued following the truck for a short time and saw it drive left center on South Seventh Street. The patrol officer then activated the cruiser’s lights and sirens to start a traffic stop, but the truck started to immediately accelerate and turned onto Blain Street.

The truck went southbound on S.R. 753 “at a high rate of speed” while also weaving back and forth across both lanes of traffic. It turned onto Winegar Road and went to the end of the road before crashing into a field. Following the crash, the patrol officer exited the cruiser and started to approach the truck. However, the truck’s driver got the vehicle unstuck and started to flee back up Winegar Road. The patrol officer pursued the truck back up the road and onto S.R. 753, according to court records.

While on S.R. 73 the truck swerved around vehicles and continued into Greenfield, went down side streets at high rates of speed while not stopping at any stop signs, then went eastbound onto Jefferson Street and traveled over the bridge into Ross County. The patrol officer followed it onto S.R. 28 where the erratic driving continued.

After it went through Fruitdale, the truck turned onto Cliff Run Road. It was traveling “at a dangerously high rate of speed, driving around blind corners and over hills.” It went down multiple back roads before getting to the dead end at Draher Lane. It then went through the backyard of 441 Draher Lane and turned back down the road. The truck then drove onto Chambliss Road, where a short distance later the driver lost control and drove into a ditch, court records state.

The patrol officer exited the cruiser and approached the truck again. The truck driver was unconscious at the wheel, and after opening the door of the vehicle, the officer saw a firearm within the driver’s reach. The driver woke up and started to scream in pain. The patrol officer saw that the driver’s right foot “was pointing backward.”

A medical flight transported Colter from the scene. It was later learned that the truck was reported as stolen.

According to court documents for the second case, on July 21, 2022, a deputy got information saying that a stolen blue Mercedes was “possibly” near Carmel in the area of S.R. 753 and S.R. 506. The deputy went to the area and saw a black pickup truck and a blue Mercedes four-door sedan pull off the roadway. The deputy pulled off near the vehicles.

As the deputy started to approach the driver’s side of the Mercedes, the driver exited the vehicle and tried to flee on foot. The deputy gave verbal commands and the suspect complied. Once they were detained, the deputy was told by an investigator that the person the deputy saw in the front passenger seat of the Mercedes “took off” by running down S.R. 506 and onto Carmel Road, according to court records.

The deputy ran the license plate on the vehicle and was advised that it had been reported as stolen. The person in the driver’s seat of the Mercedes identified themselves as Colter.

A plastic baggie containing a crystal substance was found in the trunk of the Mercedes. The substance later tested as meth.

In other sentencings, Holly Riffe, 26, Peebles, was sentenced to three years of community control on one count of receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony.

Court records stated that Riffe was ordered to successfully complete Star and recommended aftercare. Court records also stated that if Riffe violates any of the community control sanctions, she would be given a sentence of between six and 18 months and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000.

Tad Price, 47, Greenfield, was sentenced to six years of community control on multiple drug possession charges as well as a conveyance charge from two separate cases.

The first case was on one count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a government facility, a third-degree felony; aggravated possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony; and aggravated possession of meth, a fifth-degree felony. The second case was for one count of aggravated possession of a fentanyl-related compound.

For the first case, court records stated that Price was also accepted into the New Way to Recovery Drug Court Docket.

Court records also stated that, if Price violated any of the community control or drug court sanctions, he would be given a sentence of between six and 60 months and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.

According to court documents for the first count, on or around Oct. 7, 2021, Price conveyed or attempted to convey into the Greenfield Jail a fentanyl-related compound and meth.

According to court documents for the second count, on or around Oct. 7, 2021, Price knowingly obtained a fentanyl-related compound.

According to court documents for the third count, on or around Oct. 7, 2021, Price knowingly obtained, possessed or used meth.

For the second case, court records stated that if Price violates any of the community control or drug court sanctions, he would be given a sentence of between six and 18 months and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000.

According to court documents, on Feb. 10, 2022, a patrol officer was at the intersection of South Washington and Jefferson streets in Greenfield when they saw Price driving a Ford with an obscured license plate. Price stopped the vehicle at the 100 block of South Fifth Street. The officer told him he was being detained and as the officer was patting him down, they felt a plastic baggie in his pocket that contained multiple small blue pills. Price said the pills were Percocet 30s, which he said he was buying undercover for the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

The patrol officer also did an inventory of the vehicle and found a metal grinder containing green leafy residue. Price was transported to the Greenfield Police Department.

After Price was at the jail, an officer contacted the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and spoke with a detective there who said that Price had never worked with them. The blue pills found on Price later were found to contain fentanyl.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.