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Barbara May of Coshocton convicted of drug trafficking

Barbara May pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking in July

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  • Barbara May of Coshocton was convicted in Coshocton District Court of two counts of methamphetamine trafficking and received a prison sentence of four to six years.
  • In addition, May must serve a prison sentence of 18 months to 3 years. No fines or driving license suspension were imposed.

COSHOCTON – A Coshocton woman was sentenced on drug trafficking charges Tuesday in Coshocton County Court by Judge Robert Batchelor.

Barbara J. May, 29, was charged in May with two counts of aggravated drug trafficking in methamphetamine. The charges stemmed from incidents on April 12 and 13. One count was a second-degree felony and the other a fourth-degree felony. The more serious charge included a statement that the crime was committed in the presence of a minor.

May pleaded guilty on July 29 as part of a plea agreement. The Coshocton County District Attorney's Office agreed to take no position on sentencing or judicial release and to raise no objections to bail or a pre-sentencing investigation. The District Attorney's Office also agreed to recommend a prison sentence for the two charges, which run concurrently.

May was sentenced to 17 months in prison for the fourth-degree crime and 4 to 6 years for the second-degree crime, with the minimum term mandatory. She received credit for 76 days served and must serve 18 months to 3 years of post-release time. No fines or driver's license suspension were imposed.

Defense attorney Marie Seiber said her client regretted her actions and had no criminal past. Seiber explained that this was a youth sentence, which was related to the fact that children were in a front apartment while May was in a back apartment. May also spoke on her own behalf.

“I just want to apologize for everything I've done. I know for sure that I'll be a better person when I come out,” May said.

Batchelor noted that although May had no criminal history, the case involved two drug deals.

“You were clearly dealing methamphetamine in this community. You are a drug dealer and this is a very serious matter. This substance has wreaked havoc in this community and you knew that and chose to participate for financial reasons,” Batchelor told May.

He also warned her about what might happen if she continued down this path.

“This is where you change your life. This is where you decide you don't want to go down this road anymore. Two things can happen. You decide you're serious about rehabilitation, or you wear this like a badge of honor and get more street cred. And you know what that's going to get you: just more charges and you're going to be in that courtroom over and over again for the rest of your adult life and in the best case scenario, in the jail over and over again. In the worst case scenario, you're going to be exposed to meth that has too much fentanyl in it and then what happens? If you're an unknown person in the morgue, who's going to identify you,” Batchelor asked May.

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