Jent
An Indianapolis man has been convicted on methamphetamine dealing charges.
Randy Jent, 39, was convicted of three counts of dealing in methamphetamine, two as a Level 2 felony and one as a Level 4 felony, on Tuesday. This was after a two-day jury trial in Johnson Superior Court 2.
The jury deliberated for 16 minutes before returning the guilty verdict. After the verdict, Jent admitted to a habitual offender enhancement, which prosecutors say will add more years to his sentence. Jent will be sentenced Nov. 14 by Judge Peter Nugent.
The charges stem from a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office investigation into Jent after a confidential informant identified Jent as a methamphetamine dealer. In February and March, Jent delivered methamphetamine multiple times to an undercover detective and/or a confidential informant, according to a Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office news release.
Jent was arrested as a part of the most recent drug roundup conducted by multiple local and state law enforcement agencies in August. Nearly 60 people were targeted in that roundup, one of the largest in recent Johnson County history. Agencies involved included the Johnson, Shelby and Marion County sheriff’s offices and the Franklin, Bargersville, Edinburgh and Greenwood police departments, along with the White River Township and Bargersville Community fire departments, which provided SWAT medics.
“We’re seriously sending a message to drug dealers that they’re not welcome here,” Megan Smither, Johnson County drug prosecutor, said in a statement on the case.
The Level 2 felony convictions carry a sentence of 10 to 30 years, while the Level 4 felony conviction carries a sentence of 2 to 12 years. The habitual offender enhancement carries an additional sentence of 6 to 20 years, prosecutors say.
“We are very grateful to our sheriff’s detectives for catching these criminals who sell drugs. Outstanding work. I also appreciate the hard work of Deputy Prosecutors Megan Smither and Lauren Racine for their excellent work in convicting this criminal,” Lance Hamner, Johnson County prosecutor, said in a statement on the case.
Hamner also noted that he hopes drug dealers are “figuring it out.”
“Here’s yet another drug dealer who came into our community to sell his poison. He will now be spending decades in a steel cage. I hope he shares his story with his friends and associates and I hope he concludes his story with, ‘Don’t sell drugs in Johnson County. They’ll send you to prison forever,’” Hamner said.
