Late in the evening last Wednesday, April 26, following a three trial, a jury of Scott County residents returned verdicts of guilty for Dealing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Paraphernalia against Morgan M. Richey, 37, of South Second Street in Scottsburg. Richey was also found to be a habitual offender.
A sentencing hearing for will be scheduled within 30 days and will be presided over by Special Judge Larry Medlock, judge of the Washington Circuit Court. A special judge was required because of Richey’s past convictions, acording to Scott County Prosecutor Chris Owens.
Richey faces a minimum sentence of 16 years and a maximum sentence of 50 years for her crimes and has prior convictions for dealing drugs which are the basis for her habitual offender enhancement, Owens said.
On March 24, 2022, officers with the Indiana State Police and the Scottsburg Police Department went to Richey’s residence to serve an arrest warrant on her. After placing her under arrest, officers discovered a large amount of methamphetamine within her home.
During trial, ISP Trooper Kyle Taylor testified that he had been involved in over 500 drug cases during his career throughout the State of Indiana, and that the amount of methamphetamine located in this case was the most he had ever encountered in Scott County. In one container inside the home officers located over 140 grams (nearly a third of a pound) of methamphetamine. Other drugs were also discovered during the encounter along with additional methamphetamine.
“Under Indiana Law a person can be convicted of dealing a drug when the State can prove that the person possessed the drug with the intent to deliver it to someone else,” said Owens. “In this case our team was able to show the jury that the amount of drug possessed by Ms. Richey was more than an amount for personal use.”
“Without the jurors from our community who were willing to perform this civic duty, we would not have been able to hold Ms. Richey accountable and protect the residents of Scott County from her further drug dealing,” said Owens
Deputy prosecuting attorneys Mark Kiesler and Stacey Niccum handled the prosecution.