Martinsville man gets 4 years in Highland County meth trafficking case

A Martinsville man charged earlier this year in connection with a Highland County Task Force investigation was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison.

Don Rose Jr., 38, was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in February on four counts, including aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine in the vicinity of a school zone, a second-degree felony; two counts of aggravated possession of methamphetamine, both third-degree felonies; and aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine, a third-degree felony.

According to court records, Rose pleaded guilty to the two trafficking charges April 3, with the two possession charges dismissed.

A bill of particulars alleges that on or about Aug. 21, 2023, Rose sold two bags of drugs, which later tested positive as 7.02 grams of meth, to a confidential informant (CI) working with the Highland County Task Force. The alleged exchange occurred within 1,000 feet of school property.

It is also alleged that a week later, Rose sold 4.29 grams of meth to a CI in the parking lot of a Hillsboro business.

Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Rose to a mandatory two years on the first count, consecutive to 24 months on the second count, for a total of four years in prison. Under the Reagan Tokes Law, that sentence could be up to five and a half years. He had 48 days of jail time credit.

Rose was also ordered to pay $280 in restitution to the Highland County Task Force.

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