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Felicity man sentenced, classified as major drug offender in Brown County meth trafficking case

The Highland County Press - Staff Photo - Create Article
Jessie Hull. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction photo)
By
Caitlin Forsha, The Highland County Press

A Felicity man was sentenced to a minimum of 11 years in prison this month after pleading guilty to his role in a large-scale drug investigation in Brown County.

As previously reported by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, seven individuals were indicted in March after a seven-month-long investigation into a drug trafficking organization allegedly responsible for bringing pounds of methamphetamine from Dayton to the Brown County area. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Brown County Drug & Major Crimes Task Force, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Mount Orab Police Department, Ripley Police Department, Dayton DEA and the Dayton Police Department.

Among those indicted was Jessie Hull, 46, who was charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a first-degree felony; trafficking in drugs (major drug offender), a first-degree felony; possession of drugs, a first-degree felony; and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony.

According to court records, Hull pleaded guilty July 21 to a first-degree felony count of aggravated trafficking in drugs, with a major drug offender specification, as well as forfeiture of guns.

The indictment alleged that on or about Feb. 6, Hull “did knowingly prepare for shipment, ship, transport, deliver, prepare for distribution or distribute” methamphetamine in an amount equal to or exceeding 100 times the bulk amount.

The Major Drug Offender specification in the indictment alleged that Hull was “a major drug offender, as defined in Section 2929.01 of the Ohio Revised Code, in that the above offense involves the possession of, sale of or offer to sell methamphetamine, a Schedule II drug, in an amount at least 300 grams.”

Two weapons were subject to forfeiture due to allegedly “being used to protect drugs and/or drug proceeds,” the indictment said.

On Sept. 12, Brown County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Gusweiler sentenced Hull to a mandatory indefinite prison term of at least 11 years in prison, according to court records. Under the Reagan Tokes Law, the sentence could be up to 16.5 years in prison.

Hull was admitted into the Correctional Reception Center in Orient on Sept. 15, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.