Stevens, Bondurant guilty on all counts WATCH THE VIDEO
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
A jury in Highland County Common Pleas Court has found Zachary Bondurant and Jeffrey Stevens guilty on all charges - including first-degree felony counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity regarding a drug trafficking enterprise.
Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss denied defense attorney request for pre-sentence investigations and proceeded immediately to sentencing.
Coss sentenced Bondurant to 11 years in prison, as he was found guilty on 13 counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in drugs, trafficking drugs in a school zone and possession of drugs.
Stevens was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was found guilty on all 17 counts against him, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs.
Jurors began deliberating just before 11 a.m. Wednesday and returned the verdict at 3:30 p.m. They heard two days of testimony, and heard closing arguments Wednesday morning.
"It appears your full-time job is criminal. You're a criminal," Coss told Stevens during the sentencing. "As they say, if you want to play, your going to pay."
Coss said that he felt evidence showed that Stevens had just as much to do with the drug trafficking enterprise as Rodger Cassell, the alleged "ringleader."
The sentence, Coss said, was just as much to deter Stevens and Bonderant from their criminal activities, as to deter others.
"If you're going to make a career of trafficking drugs in Highland County ... selling drugs to people in our community, you're going to do time," Coss said.
Coss told Bondurant that he did not feel that he was a leader in the drug enterprise, but he sold drugs, as part of the enterprise.
"I have the same opinion of you as I have of Mr. Stevens," Coss said to Bondurant.
Bondurant's attorney Anthony Baker had said his client was a drug addict, not a drug dealer.
Coss said Bondurant was using that as an excuse and, "you have a problem with drugs, you've had opportunities to change, and it's clear that you will not."
Stevens was represented by attorney Matthew Faris.
Bondurant and Stevens were taken into the custody of the Highland County Sheriff's Office, and they will begin serving their prison sentences immediately.
Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins said that she was very pleased with the verdicts and the sentences, and the detectives with the Highland County Sheriff's Office did a great job of investigating the case, and that the jury was attentive and diligent.
A jury in Highland County Common Pleas Court has found Zachary Bondurant and Jeffrey Stevens guilty on all charges - including first-degree felony counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity regarding a drug trafficking enterprise.
Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss denied defense attorney requests for pre-sentence investigations and proceeded immediately to sentencing.
Coss sentenced Bondurant to 11 years in prison, as he was found guilty on 13 counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in drugs, trafficking drugs in a school zone and possession of drugs.
Stevens was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was found guilty on all 17 counts against him, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs.
Jurors began deliberating just before 11 a.m. Wednesday and returned the verdict at 3:30 p.m. They heard two days of testimony and heard closing arguments Wednesday morning.
"It appears your full-time job is criminal. You're a criminal," Coss told Stevens during the sentencing. "As they say, if you want to play, you're going to pay."
Coss said that he felt evidence showed that Stevens had just as much to do with the drug trafficking enterprise as Rodger Cassell, the alleged "ringleader."
The sentence, Coss said, was just as much to deter Stevens and Bonderant from their criminal activities, as to deter others.
"If you're going to make a career of trafficking drugs in Highland County ... selling drugs to people in our community, you're going to do time," Coss said.
Coss told Bondurant that he did not feel that he was a leader in the drug enterprise, but he sold drugs, as part of the enterprise.
"I have the same opinion of you as I have of Mr. Stevens," Coss said to Bondurant.
Bondurant's attorney Anthony Baker had said his client was a drug addict, not a drug dealer.
Coss said Bondurant was using that as an excuse and, "you have a problem with drugs, you've had opportunities to change, and it's clear that you will not."
Stevens was represented by attorney Matthew Faris.
Because some of the charges of trafficking and possession stemmed from the same transactions, Coss said the sentences had to be merged, per Ohio law. There were three sets of charges of possession/trafficking against Bondurant, and five sets of possession/trafficking charges against Stevens.
As he went through the process of noting the merger of the sentences, Coss asked Collins which charge the state wanted to the sentencing to be for. In each instance, Collins chose the trafficking charge, as it carried a higher prison sentence.
Bondurant and Stevens were taken into the custody of the Highland County Sheriff's Office, and they will begin serving their prison sentences immediately.
Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins said that she was very pleased with the verdicts and the sentences, and the detectives did a great job of investigating the case.
"These are huge drug dealers that we have taken off the street," Collins said. "That's a lot of drugs that we have removed from this county. That's a significant amount of time that these individuals will be in prison and not be here selling drugs to my kids, and other children in this county."
Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward said he concurs that it sends a message to other drug dealers, and taking drugs and the people who traffic in them off the streets remains a priority of his office.
"As Judge Coss said, it sends a message, I think, not only to these individuals, that there is a pay day for using criminal enterprise to profit," Ward said. "These two individuals are going to pay a hefty price, as well as Mr. (Rodger) Cassell, who took a plea for nine years."
Ward said that he appreciates the very tough job and the hard work put into the case by his office, the Highland County Prosecutor's Office, the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force, and the Clinton County Sheriff's Office. The combination of good investigating and good prosecution is getting drugs off Highland County Streets.
"We have other cases pending," Ward said. "These cases are going to make a significant stranglehold on the heroin that's coming into this county. I'm completely satisfied with the job. I know our detectives worked many, many, many hours on this case. Mrs. Collins, the people at the prosecutor's office worked many, many many hours on this case. It's a culmination of agencies working collaboratively. These are the priorities of our office. When you see a jury hear all the evidence, listen carefully, and return guilty verdicts on every single count ... I'm very satisfied."
The state had alleged that from October 2010 through March 2010, Bondurant and Stevens were part of a drug ring that trafficked heroin and cocaine that had been brought from the Dayton area into Highland County. The state said that Rodger Cassell was the leader of the drug enterprise, and he provided the drugs that Bondurant and Cassell reportedly trafficked.