COURT NEWS: Drug trafficking duo convicted and suspended
BGNN staff report
AKRON Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich announced Feb. 9 that Dylan Bond, 29, of Marshallville, was found guilty of various drug trafficking charges and his role in the overdose death of Jaclyn Ballard, 47, of Cuyahoga Falls. He was also found guilty of leading law enforcement on a car chase through multiple jurisdictions. He was sentenced to 9.5 to 13 years in prison, and his driver’s license was suspended for 3 years.
Last week, Bond pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Trafficking in a Fentanyl-Related Compound – a 1st Degree Felony;
- One count of Aggravated Trafficking in Drugs – a 2nd Degree Felony;
- One count of Corrupting Another with Drugs – a 2nd Degree Felony;
- One count of Having Weapons While Under Disability – a 3rd Degree Felony; and
- One count of Failure to Comply with an Order or Signal of a Police Officer – a 3rd Degree Felony.
Bond’s co-defendant Madalyn Copley, 26, of Rising Sun, Ohio pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to the following charges:
- One count of Aggravated Possession of Drugs – a 3rd Degree Felony;
- One count of Possession of a Controlled Substance Analog – a 4th Degree Felony;
- One count of Possession of Cocaine – a 4th Degree Felony; and
- One count of Possession of L.S.D – a 5th Degree Felony.
Copley is scheduled to be sentenced 11 a.m. April 15.
“Drug traffickers like Dylan Bond bring lethal drugs into our communities and prey on those struggling with addiction,” Kolkovich said in the news release. “This case is a tragic reminder of the real and irreversible consequences of drug trafficking, and my office will not tolerate those who endanger lives for profit. Our thoughts are with Jaclyn Ballard’s family and friends as they grieve this tragic loss.”
In December 2024, the Cuyahoga Falls Police and Fire Departments responded to a residence on Shannon Avenue for a reported medical emergency. Upon arrival, first responders found Jaclyn Ballard unconscious and unresponsive. Despite lifesaving efforts, Ballard was pronounced deceased due to a drug overdose once transported to a local hospital. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s toxicology report later determined that Jaclyn Ballard died from a lethal combination of fentanyl, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and oxycodone in her system at the time of her death. Evidence from witnesses and the victim’s cell phone pointed to Dylan Bond as the drug trafficker that supplied Ballard with drugs.
Using Ballard’s phone, detectives arranged a controlled drug transaction with Bond. Bond agreed to sell methamphetamines and fentanyl and to deliver the narcotics to Ballard’s residence in Cuyahoga Falls. When Bond arrived, officers blocked in his vehicle from behind, but Bond fled on foot, leaving a trail of drugs. He was quickly apprehended in a neighboring backyard while attempting to scale a fence. Officers located several baggies on Bond’s person and along his flight path that were later tested and determined to contain 32.54 grams of fentanyl mixed with other drugs including heroin and xylazine, 14.46 grams of methamphetamines, and a small amount of cocaine. Officers also located $7,175 on Bond’s person and a firearm in the vehicle.
Madalyn Copley was a passenger in the vehicle and was also arrested after officers recovered 23.52 grams of methamphetamines from her person. Officers also located a bag containing multiple baggies of cocaine, squares of LSD, a baggie of pills that tested positive for methamphetamines and dozens more that tested positive for benzodiazepines.
A month prior, in November 2024, Bond led law enforcement officers from Wayne County, Norton, and Akron on a car chase through busy streets that reached speeds of 80 miles per hour—50 miles per hour over the speed limit. Bond was apprehended after he abandoned the vehicle and continued to flee from officers on foot.
