LIMA — A Lima man accused by police to be a known distributor of cocaine in the Lima community waived his right to a speedy trial during a brief court appearance Monday.
Raylon Hardy, 28, of Lima, faces 14 counts ranging from assorted drug charges to allegations of assault with a firearm. His attorney, Carroll Creighton, said additional time is necessary to prepare for Hardy’s trial. A new tentative trial date was set for April 27.
Hardy was indicted by a grand jury in January on two counts of felonious assault, each with firearm and repeat violent offender specifications, and one count of having a weapon under disability.
The offenses alleged in the indictment are said to have occurred on or about Nov. 26, 2019, when Hardy knowingly caused or attempted to cause physical harm to Michael Gooding and Leroy Smith by means of a deadly weapon, a firearm.
In a separate case that reportedly has a direct link to the alleged physical attacks, Hardy was also indicted on 11 drug-related charges. Those include two counts of possession of cocaine, one a first-degree felony and the other a felony of the fifth degree; three counts of trafficking in heroin and five counts of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, all third-degree felonies; and one count of possession of heroin, a fourth-degree felony.
According to court records, the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force, with assistance from the Allen County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, served a search warrant on Nov. 26 at a residence at 1424 S. Union St., Lima. Inside the home, police found 33.3 grams of what was later determined to be cocaine. Documents say Hardy was “known by investigators to sell narcotics, specifically cocaine, from this address.”
Because the amount of cocaine seized was greater than 27 grams, Hardy was charged with the first-degree felony.
The trafficking charges stem from incidents that, according to the indictment, took place from Nov. 19-26 in Lima when Hardy is alleged to have possessed, sold and/or offered for sale the various controlled substances.
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