Apr. 8—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire man is involved in methamphetamine dealing in the Eau Claire area and is connected to a case where more than four pounds of the drug was found in a vehicle in February, authorities say.

Kim R. Blatcher, 46, 517 Dodge St., is charged in Eau Claire County Court with felony counts of conspiracy to commit possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and bail jumping.

A $100,000 signature bond was set for Blatcher, which prohibits him from having contact with his co-defendant or anyone involved in illegal drug activities.

Blatcher returns to court May 15.

Co-defendant Dalton D. Clayton, 30, of Colfax, was previously charged with felony counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and second-offense possession of marijuana, and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Clayton returns to court June 6.

According to the criminal complaint:

Investigators with the West Central Drug Task Force received information on Feb. 13 that Clayton was in possession of a significant amount of methamphetamine which he was distributing around the Eau Claire area.

Investigators were also told that Clayton was using a white Mercury Mariner owned by the mother of one of his children.

Investigators found the vehicle parked in a gas station parking lot at Clairemont Avenue and Jeffers Road. An investigator pulled into a location where he could observe the parking lot.

The Mariner pulled up next to a black car for what appeared to be a drug transaction.

After the Mariner left the parking lot, police conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. The driver was identified as Clayton.

Clayton denied that he was engaging in a drug transaction. He said he was simply trying to collect money that was owed to him.

When he was told his vehicle would be searched, Clayton admitted there were drugs in the vehicle. He said he received drugs from the person he met at the gas station.

Clayton said there was methamphetamine in a black bag in the backseat of his vehicle. The bag contained about a pound of methamphetamine. Clayton was subsequently arrested.

Investigators found an additional bag in the trunk that contained 4.2 pounds of methamphetamine. They also found marijuana and several items of drug paraphernalia inside of the vehicle.

Clayton was taken to the Eau Claire County Jail and his phone was seized.

Clayton told authorities that Blatcher is a methamphetamine dealer in the Eau Claire area and had been receiving pounds of the drug through the mail.

Authorities interviewed Blatcher on March 13.

Blatcher said he was involved in large-scale methamphetamine trafficking and that his role was "the muscle."

Blatcher said the methamphetamine trafficking involved packages arriving in the Eau Claire area. His role was to receive the methamphetamine packages at the various locations where they had been mailed.

Blatcher said he would be directed by others in the enterprise of an incoming package and would then be provided with the trafficking details.

Batcher said it was his job to receive the meth package and make sure it was brought to others involved in the enterprise, who would then sell the meth from the package.

Blatcher said Clayton had stolen the more than four pounds of meth from him.

Clayton and Blatcher are being prosecuted as repeat offenders.

Clayton was convicted of a felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery of a witness in December 2019 in Dunn County and of a felony count of possession of methamphetamine in September 2019 in Eau Claire County.

Blatcher was convicted of a felony count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver in December 2021 in Eau Claire County.