Highland County Task Force investigation leads to 6-year prison sentence for Mount Gilead man
A Mount Gilead man has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to first- and second-degree felony meth trafficking charges in Highland County.
Robert Ballein, 52, was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in April 2022 on multiple charges, including: two counts of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine in the vicinity of a school zone, a first-degree and second-degree felony; three counts of aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a second-degree, a third-degree and a fifth-degree felony; one count each of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine and aggravated trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, both fourth-degree felony; and one count of theft by deception, a first-degree misdemeanor. The indictment was made secret for almost a year.
According to court records, Ballein pleaded guilty April 10 to both counts of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine in the vicinity of a school zone. The remaining six charges were dismissed.
The indictment alleged that on or about Feb. 21, 2021 and in Highland County, Ballein “did knowingly sell or offer to sell” meth “in an amount equal to or exceeding five times bulk amount but less than 50 times bulk amount in the vicinity of a school zone.” He was also accused of selling meth “in an amount equal to or exceeding bulk amount but less than five times bulk amount in the vicinity of a school zone” in a separate instance on or about Oct. 27, 2020.
During a sentencing hearing Thursday, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss ordered Ballein to serve a definite determinate term of three years on each count, to run consecutively, for a total of six years in prison. He had jail time credit of one day. Ballein was also ordered to pay restitution and court costs.
The charges were a result of a Highland County Task Force investigation last year, “Operation Ice Breaker,” which was the first major drug bust in the Highland County area since 2020. As previously reported, indictments were handed down in connection with the Operation Ice Breaker investigation in February through August 2022, with five arrest roundups also being conducted.
Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins said in February that Operation Ice Breaker was primarily concentrated in Hillsboro, with $60,000 in illegal narcotics purchased in the city by the Highland County Task Force.
In July 2022, Collins said there were 92 separate indictments resulting from this investigation.