A 29-year-old Seymour man faces up to 34½ years in prison after he was found guilty of drug and resisting law enforcement charges Wednesday in Jackson Circuit Court.
A 12-member jury found Christopher Carl Bell guilty on a Level 2 felony charge of dealing in methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony charge of resisting law enforcement and two Class A misdemeanor charges of driving while suspended and resisting law enforcement.
Bell was charged with the Level 2 felony, which carries an advisory sentence of 17½ years, because the amount of methamphetamine exceeded 10 grams.
He will be sentenced during a hearing at 9:30 a.m. July 2 by Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard W. Poynter.
He faces a minimum sentence of 10½ years.
The verdict stems from an incident March 11, 2018, in which Bell fled police in a vehicle after he failed to stop for a traffic violation on County Road 1240E south of Seymour.
Bell drove north on U.S. 31 with speeds reaching 100 mph, according to a probable cause affidavit signed by then-Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Reserve Officer Scott Davis.
Bell, however, failed to make a turn onto County Road 1000E, drove into a field and then fled on foot. He was caught by Davis after running through a field into a wooded area west of County Road 1000E.
During a search, Davis said police found Bell to be in possession of a bag that contained methamphetamine, a digital scale and two cellphones. Bell also gave police conflicting information about the ownership of the vehicle, Davis said.