Dresden woman receives 8 years in prison for meth trafficking
COSHOCTON — One of three individuals charged in a December drug bust was sentenced Thursday in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court by Judge Robert Batchelor.
Alexis L. Green, 41, of Dresden, was indicted in January with two counts of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine, second-degree felonies, from an incident on Dec. 16. The charges carried a specification to forfeit a 2005 silver Cadillac STS and $450 in cash.
The charges were amended to drop the forfeiture of the automobile as part of a plea deal. Green entered guilty pleas on April 20. The state agreed to take no position on sentencing. Green was represented by Edward Itayim of Newark.
She received an aggregate term of 8 to 10 years in prison for both charges with the minimum term mandatory. Green was granted 47 days credit for local incarceration. She will serve mandatory post release control of 18 months to 3 years.
Also indicted on the same charges from the incident were Abigail L. Scurlock, 21, and Damian I. Smith, 21, both of Frazeysburg. Scurlock is set for trial on Sept. 27 and Smith entered guilty pleas to charges on May 31. He has yet to be sentenced.
According to court documents, Green was contacted by a confidential informant by text message on obtaining drugs. The exchange was made in the parking lot of a store in Conesville. Green indicated she could provide more meth and a second buy occurred later the same day.
"I'm sorry I even answered that text message. That kind of sealed my fate right there," Green said.
Itayim noted Green had never been charged with trafficking before and was simply acting as a middle man between her dealer and the informant. He also said Green has been active in seeking rehabilitation since being released from jail on bond.
Green has completed a court ordered intensive outpatient program and claimed to be attending church regularly. She proudly showed her certificate for completing the treatment program in court.
"A couple weeks before this happened, I asked God what my purpose was in life and apparently it's to come to Him," Green said. "I'm not going to give up and I'm not going to stop. I'm going to keep going to church, I'm going to keep praying and I'm going to keep doing the right thing, because I want a better me."
Batchelor congratulated Green on finding faith and completing the treatment program, but said the facts of the case couldn't be denied and a punishment was mandated by law.
He noted Green had fifth-degree felony convictions from Muskingum County Common Pleas Court for theft and forgery in 2017 and a misdemeanor conviction of obstructing official business in 2020. He also said this was Green's third time through some type of treatment program.
What struck Batchelor was there were two incidents on the same day, which showed Green's willingness to participate in the deal and distribute drugs to the community.
"While you say your fate was sealed when you answered the text message, that really denies somewhat that you went back again later that day," Batchelor said. "You drove to Coshocton County, you could have turned around anytime you wanted. That was the first time, then you did it again. That speaks the truth as to what was going on."
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Dresden woman gets 8 years in prison for meth trafficking
