Man gets prison for drugs, gun

NORWALK — A Cleveland man was recently sentenced to prison on firearm and drug charges. Dante Martin, 38, who is incarcerated at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, pleaded guilty at a Jan. 20 hearing to one amended third-degree felony count of cocaine possession, one count of third-degree felony having weapons while under disability and one misdemeanor count of OVI, according to court documents. Martin was then sentenced by Judge James Conway in Huron County Common Pleas Court on March 24. He received two-and-a-half years in prison for the possession charge, two years for the weapons under disability charge and three days for the OVI. Conway then ordered the felony sentences to be served consecutively to each other and concurrently with the OVI sentence for a total of four-and-a-half years in prison. Martin was given two days of jail-time credit. His license was suspended for one year beginning Feb. 27, 2025. An iPhone in a case, a .40 caliber handgun and two digital scales were forfeited to the Huron County Sheriff's Office. A Mercedes-Benz SUV that Martin was in possession of at the time of the offenses was forfeited to the Huron County Board of Commissioners. A little more than $100 in cash will be split between the Huron County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Trust Fund and the Huron County prosecutor's office. Upon release from prison, Martin will face up to two years of post-release control. He will be eligible to apply for judicial release six months after arrival at prison. He was delivered to the Orient prison on April 7 and has an expected release date of Sept. 19, 2030. Motion to withdraw In a Feb. 13 filing, Martin moved the court to withdraw his guilty plea. He claimed he did not fully understand the consequences of his plea due to myriad circumstances. Martin claimed on the day of the plea hearing that he was under "extreme tension and stress" that made him unable to fully comprehend and understand the penalties for the charges he was pleading guilty to, according to his motion to withdraw guilty plea. Martin said he was originally offered a different plea agreement and "mistakenly presumed" that the sentence recommendation would not be the same four-and-a-half years in prison. He said he was confused as to the necessity of an interview with probation for a pre-sentence investigation. Martin also said he was distracted by his child being in the courtroom instead of waiting with their mother in the hallway. The state filed a response to Martin's motion to withdraw his guilty plea, opposing the request. Court records do not indicate if Conway ruled on the motion. On April 9, Martin filed a notice of intent to appeal his case to the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals. The appeal includes an affidavit from a woman who said she was the front-seat passenger when Martin was pulled over. The affidavit states that the handgun found in the car was hers and that she did not allow anyone else to handle, use or possess her firearm. Background Just before 9 p.m. on Feb. 27, 2025, Huron County deputies initiated a traffic stop on Ohio 162 near North Main Street in North Fairfield, according to a sheriff's office report. During the course of the stop, deputies discovered approximately 60 grams, or 2 ounces, of cocaine. The cocaine was reportedly packaged for sale. Deputies also located and seized marijuana, some of which was in bulk bags, and some was packaged for sale. A pistol was also found and collected as evidence, as well as more than $100 in cash. In addition to Martin, two other individuals were in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop. Officials said they were not pursuing charges against the others.