Drug Dealer Convicted

On April 12, 2019, the Virginia State Police Division Tac team arrived at 114 Stumps Hill Road in Amherst County. There they made entry to the residence. During the entrance, the team witnessed Earnest Cash, III throw a black safe and a black draw string back out of a second story window and then proceed to jump out of the window himself.

The black safe contained approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 423 grams of marijuana, an electronic scale, and a bag of smoking devices. The black drawstring bag contained approximately $22,000 in US currency. Other items of note recovered during the search were counterfeit money, a fully loaded Glock 17, multiple electronic scales, a ledger book, multiple cell phones, and mailing packaging and materials.

Because of the strength of the Commonwealth’s case, The Defendant entered into a plea agreement in which he received a sentence of 14 years active incarceration and 18 years of suspended incarceration.  The 14 years incarceration is based upon statutory mandatory minimums, meaning the Defendant will not get credit for Good Behavior and must serve out his sentence day-for-day.

This drug bust by the Virginia State Police Drug Task Force and successful prosecution by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has guaranteed that a known drug dealer will not see the outside of a jail cell for over a decade. Further, it kept a large amount of methamphetamine and marijuana off of the streets of Amherst County. The Glock 17 and its ammunition were ordered to be turned over to the Commonwealth for destruction.

If the defendant continues to defy the laws of the Commonwealth upon his release, he faces a substantial amount of suspended time that he will then have to serve out.