By: Corey Murray
cmurray@hillsdale.net
HILLSDALE — A Montpelier, Ohio man on the run from parole in Ohio caught in possession of methamphetamine in Hillsdale County in August was sentenced to a Michigan prison sentence Monday, Nov. 4, in the 1st Judicial Circuit Court of Hillsdale.
Kenneth Tucker Dean Richards, 26, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine as a third-time habitual offender Sept. 16 in a plea deal where he pleaded guilty as charged.
“He really wants to get his life back on track and take advantage of any substance abuse treatment he can get,” Keith Stickley, Richards’ attorney, said.
With four prior felony convictions and Richards’ status as a parole absconder at the time of his August arrest, Judge Sara S. Lisznyai painted a different picture of Richards other than being a simple drug addict.
Turning to court records, Lisznyai highlighted the fact that troopers with the Michigan State Police who arrested Richards found over 20 grams of methamphetamine in his possession at the time of his arrest.
Richards admitted to police, according to Lisznyai, that he was selling the highly addictive narcotic in Hillsdale County to fund his run from Ohio parole where he eluded authorities for nearly two years before his capture in August.
With advisory sentencing guidelines set at 19-57 months in prison, Lisznyai sentenced on the high side of the minimum sentence and ordered Richards to be committed to the Michigan Department of Corrections for a term of 57-240 months with no credit.
Given Richards’ parole status out of Ohio, he will eventually be returned to Ohio to answer to local authorities for absconding once he finishes his Michigan sentence.
Richards will soon be transported to the Charles Egeler Guidance and Reception Center in Jackson to be processed into the Michigan Department of Corrections.
His Ohio history includes multiple drug offenses.