| Madison Village Councilman Larry J.
Buck pleaded not guilty Friday to two felony drug charges.
Buck, 50, was indicted last week in Lake County Common Pleas Court on
charges of trafficking marijuana and possession of marijuana. He remains
free on his own recognizance. Buck signed arraignment paperwork at the
Lake County Sheriff's Department in Painesville and did not appear before a
judge.
Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Patrick Condon and defense attorney Leo J.
Talikka declined comment after the hearing. The case was assigned to
Judge Paul H. Mitrovich. Buck was arrested in March after a
three-year investigation by the Trumbull, Ashtabula and Geauga Law
Enforcement Task Force.
The task force was assisted by the Lake County Narcotics Agency, Ohio Bureau
of Criminal Identification, and Madison Village Police Department. A
small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia was confiscated from Buck's
West Main Street home, and two 1-pound bags of marijuana were found in his
car, agents said.
If convicted, Buck faces up to 21/2 years in prison. On a related
matter, he also has a trial scheduled June 27 in Ashtabula County Common
Pleas Court on four counts of marijuana trafficking. Each of those
counts is punishable by up to 18 months in prison. Buck began his
second four-year term on council in January. |
