Joe L. Fletcher III, Drug Trafficking, Ohio 2022

A high-speed chase through Copley, Ohio, ended with a dramatic arrest and a guilty verdict for Joe L. Fletcher III, a 33-year-old Akron man.

On June 24, 2020, Fletcher refused to stop for Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers on Interstate 77, leading them on a pursuit that reached speeds of over 110 miles per hour. He eventually abandoned his vehicle and fled into a wooded swamp area.

Fletcher's desperate attempt to evade capture only led to more trouble. According to court documents, he used his cell phone to stream his flight live over the internet, threatening to shoot law enforcement in the process.

After his arrest, authorities recovered approximately 40 grams of crack cocaine in the wooded area and a loaded, AK-style, semiautomatic rifle from Fletcher's vehicle.

Fletcher was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. His prior felony convictions in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas and the United States District Court in the Northern District of Ohio already prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Ohio-Northeast Smuggling Enforcement Team (ONSET) task force, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Copley Police Department, and the Akron Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter E. Daly and Aaron P. Howell are prosecuting the case.

Fletcher is scheduled to be sentenced on August 9, 2022, and faces a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/akron-man-convicted-drug-trafficking-and-illegal-possession-firearm