Two local drug busts made it to court last week.
Leonard Ray Collins Jr. and Corby Eugene Clabaugh will face sentencing Oct. 1 after both men pleaded guilty to drug charges at their criminal pretrials on Sept. 4.
Police arrested Collins and confiscated his cocaine and heroin May 29 at the Hillsdale Grab N Go on West Carleton Road., just half a mile from Simpson Hall. Collins pled guilty to two counts of possession of less than 25 grams of cocaine and heroin.
“It was a very small amount, less than a gram of heroin and cocaine,” Hillsdale County Prosecutor Neal Brady said. “In this case, he gave it to someone to give to a confidential informant.”
Police received an anonymous tip that led them to Clabaugh’s duplex where he and his girlfriend were staying on Sunset Court in Jonesville. Police entered the home on June 17 and arrested Clabaugh while he was attempting to make methamphetamine. Police found lithium batteries, Drano, cold packs, and other materials they said are often used to make meth.
Clabaugh pleaded guilty to attempted manufacture of meth and attempted operation and maintenance of a lab. Clabaugh, now a habitual offender, doubled his maximum sentence to seven and a half years and/or an $18,750 fine.
Collins, also a habitual offender, doubled his maximum sentence to eight years and/or a $50,000 fine for each count.
“A judge cannot sentence Collins to any more than six to eight years,“ Brady said. “Chances are, he’ll go to prison for three and a half or four years.”
Brady said Hillsdale doesn’t see drug cases with much higher quantities than Collins’ case.
Brady dropped two counts of delivering less than 50 grams of cocaine against Collins. Brady also dropped three counts previously against Clabaugh: manufacturing of meth second offense; maintaining a lab involving meth second offense; and obstruction of justice.
Both men are being held in the Hillsdale County jail awaiting sentencing.
“I think it’s a fairly good resolution of the matter,” Claubaugh’s defense attorney Richard Colebeck said.
