A Hillsboro man sentenced to community control for methamphetamine possession was among two people recently sentenced in Highland County Common Pleas Court.
Roger Barber Jr., 32, was sentenced to three years of community control on one count of aggravated possession of meth, a fifth-degree felony. Barber Jr. was accepted into the New Way to Recovery Drug Court Docket.
According to court documents, on or around Dec. 28, 2022, a patrol officer was patrolling in a marked cruiser going westbound on Jefferson Street in Greenfield along with an auxiliary officer. The patrol officer saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee going westbound in front of them that had a “loud muffler/exhaust.” It was also constantly swerving back and forth in its lane of travel.
The patrol officer ran the vehicle’s license plate through dispatch and they were told it came back to Barber Jr.’s father. The vehicle then made a left turn onto South Seventh Street and continued to go south. As it went over the Seventh Street bridge, the patrol officer activated the vehicle’s overhead lights to start a traffic stop.
The vehicle stopped on S.R. 138/Carford Pike. The patrol officer made contact with the driver of the vehicle, who identified himself as Barber Jr. He said he didn’t have a valid driver’s license and didn’t know his social security number. He said his father was the registered owner of the vehicle.
After Barber Jr. admitted that his license was under suspension, the patrol officer told him to exit the vehicle. He started to fumble with something in his center console as the patrol officer opened the door and instructed him to stop grabbing for stuff and step out of the car. Barber Jr. put something down and exited the Jeep.
As the patrol officer had Barber Jr. put his hands on top of the vehicle and patted him down for weapons, the officer saw a red straw with residue on it inside of his open back pocket. The patrol officer advised Barber Jr. that he was being placed in handcuffs. The patrol officer was then told by the auxiliary officer that Barber Jr. put something in his mouth while exiting his vehicle.
After he was placed in handcuffs, the patrol officer brought him to the front of the police cruiser. The patrol officer saw that he had what looked like an orange pill inside his mouth. The patrol officer repeatedly told him to spit the item out of his mouth. However, Barber Jr. denied having anything in his mouth.
After a short struggle, Barber Jr. opened his mouth and the patrol officer saw that the item had been swallowed. Barber Jr. said the item was “just a candy.” The patrol officer secured the cut straw from his back pocket and also found a baggie that contained a crystalline substance in his right front pocket.
The patrol officer ran Barber Jr. through dispatch and was told that he had a warrant out of the Highland County Sheriff’s Office. The patrol officer then confirmed that Barber Jr. was under a license forfeiture suspension.
The patrol officer advised Barber Jr. of his Miranda Rights, after which he said that the baggie held methamphetamine. Barber Jr. then repeatedly denied swallowing anything other than candy.
The patrol officer started an inventory of the vehicle and found a glass pipe with burn marks and residue under the driver’s seat. The officer also found two plastic baggies with powder residue in the back of the vehicle.
Barber Jr. was taken to the Greenfield jail. The crystalline substance found in his pocket was submitted to BCI for testing and found to contain meth.
In other sentencings, Steven Kingsolver, 42, Greenfield, was sentenced to three years of community control on two counts of counterfeiting, both fourth-degree felonies.
Kingsolver was ordered to successfully complete Substance Use Disorder treatment and aftercare through REACH. He was ordered to pay restitution of $40 to one company and $500 to another company alongside his co-defendant.
According to court records, around Aug. 30. 2023 and Dec. 14, 2023, Kingsolver attempted to pass counterfeit bills.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
