Hillsboro man sentenced on meth trafficking charge

A Hillsboro man was sentenced recently to community control after pleading guilty to a meth trafficking charge. 

James Bishop, 58, was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in September 2023 and charged with one count each of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine, a fourth-degree felony, and aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony. The indictment was initially made secret.

According to court records, Bishop pleaded guilty to the trafficking charge in December, with the possession count dismissed.

A bill of particulars alleges that on or about March 20, 2023, a confidential informant (CI) working with the Highland County Task Force visited a Highland County address to purchase meth. Bishop was accused of selling the CI a plastic bag containing what later tested positive as .95 gram of meth.

During a sentencing hearing Jan. 4, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Bishop to three years of community control. Bishop was also ordered to pay $40 in restitution to the Highland County Task Force.