James Drew Ballard, 40, of Morganton, was sentenced to serve six to eight years in prison following his conviction for two counts of trafficking fentanyl on separate occasions during Catawba County Superior Court on Monday, January 13, 2025.
The Honorable Karen Eady-Williams, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, imposed terms of the active sentence after Ballard entered a guilty plea.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. He also will be required to pay two mandatory fines totaling $550,000.
The offenses, both investigated by Hickory Police Department, occurred November 21, 2023, and September 12, 2024.
On November 21, 2023, officers from Hickory Police Department observed and approached a vehicle located in a church parking lot. The defendant and a female were occupants of the vehicle.
As officers approached, Ballard exited the vehicle and tried to block their view into the vehicle before attempting to flee when they tried to detain him. A search of the vehicle revealed a zipper pouch that contained multiple baggies of illegal substances, along with a cell phone that had messages related to drug transactions.
On November 12, 2024, the defendant’s vehicle was stopped for an expired registration. A K-9 unit alerted on the vehicle, and a search ensued. A search of Ballard led to the location of drugs in his pants, and multiple bags of narcotics were found inside the vehicle.
Robert McKee and Justin Rogers handled the cases for Hickory Police Department. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Phillips prosecuted the matters for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Dea Crowe.