Christopher Clary, 34, of Lima, will be sentenced Sept. 11 after pleading guilty in Allen County Common Pleas Court on Thursday to trafficking in cocaine, possession of cocaine and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. Clary was labeled a major drug offender.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man charged as a major drug offender after being found in possession of more than 300 grams of cocaine on Thursday pleaded guilty to charges that will likely land him in prison for up to 18 years.
Christopher Clary, 34, was indicted in October 2022 on three counts of trafficking in cocaine, possession of cocaine and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, all first degree felonies, and having weapons under disability, a felony of the third degree. Some of the charges included specifications for the forfeiture of firearms and also labeled Clary a major drug offender.
Appearing in Allen County Common Pleas Court on Thursday, Clary entered into an agreement with prosecutors whereby he agreed to plead guilty to three of the counts against him. He entered a guilty plea to trafficking in cocaine, with an attached major drug offender specification, possession of cocaine, with specifications for the forfeiture of two handguns, and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Part of the deal with prosecutors was a joint agreement that would cap Clary’s maximum time behind bars at 18 years. The state also agreed to dismiss the remaining three counts of the indictment.
Judge Jeffrey Reed ordered a pre-sentence investigation and set sentencing in the case for Sept. 11. Clary’s bond was continued. Reed told the Lima man that by pleading guilty to a charge with a major drug offender specification attached, state law mandates the imposition of a maximum sentence of 11-16 1/2 years in prison.
According to court documents, the Northwest Ohio Safe Streets Task Force conducted an investigation into drug activity in Lima in the summer of 2022. The task force, in conjunction with the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force, executed a search warrant on Aug. 18 at a residence at 2262 N. Glenwood Ave., Lima, after which Clary was taken into custody.
During the search FBI special agents reportedly located a bag containing approximately 321 grams of suspected cocaine in Clary’s bedroom. Clary was interviewed by an FBI agent the following day and admitted the cocaine belonged to him and had been purchased in Michigan, according to court documents.
Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Destiny Caldwell praised the “great work by law enforcement in taking a lot of drugs off the streets of Lima.”
