Hillsboro man sentenced to prison on drug possession, failure to comply charges

A Hillsboro man was sentenced this week to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to a drug possession charge and failure to comply charge in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

As previously reported, Michael Campanaro Sr., 50, was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in October and was charged with one count of aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a second-degree felony; one count of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony; and one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. 

According to court records, Campanaro pleaded guilty to the possession and failure to comply charges Nov. 4, with the tampering charge dismissed. 

It is alleged that on or about Aug. 19, Campanaro “did knowingly obtain, possess or use” meth “in an amount equal to or exceeding five times bulk amount but less than 50 times bulk amount.” On the same date, he is accused of “operating a motor vehicle … so as  willfully to elude or flee a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal from a police officer to bring [his] motor vehicle to a stop and the operation of the motor vehicle by [Campanaro] caused a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property.” 

After accepting Campanaro’s guilty pleas, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Campanaro to a mandatory three years in prison on the drug possession charge, consecutive to 18 months in prison on the failure to comply charge. Under the Reagan Tokes Law, Campanaro could serve up to six years in prison. He had 77 days of jail time credit.

Coss also ordered Campanaro’s driver’s license to be suspended for three years beginning Aug. 19.