'I should have listened to my mom,' Lima man says at sentencing
Jun. 17—LIMA — A Lima man who reportedly sold drugs to undercover police informants on three separate occasions and was found in possession of more than 80 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture and more than $12,000 during a task force raid at his home was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.
Robert Reynolds Jr., 41, of Lima, entered into a deal with prosecutors in April and pleaded guilty to an amended second-degree felony count of possession of a fentanyl-related compound, with a specification for the forfeiture of money in a drug case; and a third-degree felony count of tampering with evidence. He was indicted last November on a first-degree felony count of possession of a fentanyl-related compound along with the tampering charge.
Judge Terri Kohlrieser sentenced Reynolds to a four-year mandatory prison term on the possession charge and two years on the tampering count. She ordered the sentences be served consecutively.
According to court records, the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force executed a search warrant on Sept.23, 2020, at 347 Lincoln Ave. in Lima. Once inside the residence they located Reynolds, who was in a second-floor bathroom attempting to flush a white, powdery substance believed to be narcotics.
During a search of the residence task force members found four bags containing 86.3 grams of a powdery substance that tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
Family members asked the judge for leniency in the case. Reynolds's mother said her son is "a good person; he just didn't listen to me. He fell short. We all fall short."
Reynolds's cousin said she had lived with him in Louisiana, in part to escape an undesirable element in Lima.
"We knew Lima was like a suction hole; you get caught up in things you shouldn't," she said. "Robert was a preacher in Louisiana and I know he can get back on track."
Reynolds told the judge it was a "blessing" he was apprehended. He said God was speaking to him to get his life in order.
"I fell and I fell bad. I should have listened to my mom. I made some bad decisions and I blame no one else for that," Reynolds said. "I'm sorry, mom. I knew better."
In addition to his prison term, Reynolds forfeited $12,141 to the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force.
