A Dayton man found guilty by a Fayette County jury of eight drug-related charges was recently sentenced to 15 to 19 years in prison — with 12 of those years mandatory.

Keenan D. Lee was found guilty Sept. 10 in Fayette County Common Pleas Court in two separate cases and was sentenced by Judge Steven Beathard the next day.

In the first case from an incident that occurred Aug. 9, Lee was found guilty of aggravated trafficking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs, both felonies of the second degree.

While on a call for service at Jenni Lane Apartments at 11:20 p.m. on Aug. 9, officers with the Washington Police Department observed a vehicle driving erratically toward them, according to reports. Officers attempted to get the driver’s attention to stop the vehicle by gesturing and shining flashlights.

The vehicle continued toward the dead end corner of the apartment complex at a high rate of speed. As one of the officers ran after the vehicle, the driver allegedly got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. The other officers joined in the pursuit and told the man to stop. He was reportedly advised a taser would be deployed if he didn’t comply.

He continued running eastbound on the south side sidewalk until finally giving up and going to the ground on his belly, police said.

While police took him into custody, the subject was identified as Lee.

One of the officers retraced the route from the foot chase and found a baggie of suspected drugs under one of the vehicles Lee had run past. The baggie contained 32 grams of methamphetamine, six grams of an unknown white substance and seven Alprazolam pills.

During a search of the vehicle, a small baggie with an unknown white substance inside, a baggie of marijuana and a large amount of cash were located.

In the second case from an incident that occurred Oct. 10, Lee was found guilty of trafficking in cocaine (a first-degree felony), possession of cocaine (a first-degree felony), aggravated trafficking in drugs (a second-degree felony), aggravated possession of drugs (a second-degree felony), failure to comply (a third-degree felony), and tampering with evidence (a third-degree felony).

On Oct. 10, a Washington C.H. Police Department officer saw a vehicle heading southbound on South North Street near Fourth Street that did not have any visible rear lights, according to reports. The officer attempted to make a traffic stop by using his overhead lights, but the vehicle did not stop.

The vehicle traveled northbound on South Fayette Street at a slow pace at first, and then the driver, later identified as Lee, rapidly accelerated, reports said. As the police cruiser pursued, the vehicle ran a posted stop sign on South Fayette Street at East Elm Street and continued northbound at greater speeds. The vehicle then turned eastbound on East East Street while running a red light at the intersection, it ran a red light from East East Street onto South North Street, and once on South North Street, rapidly accelerated southbound.

The officer estimated that the vehicle was reaching speeds near 100 miles per hour. The vehicle failed to stop at the posted stop sign on South North at East Elm. The vehicle finally approached a dead end near Sixth Street, and Lee fled from the vehicle on foot — running eastbound through backyards.

Prior to fleeing, Lee allegedly put the car into reverse and it was heading toward the officer. “I positioned my vehicle to take the impact of the vehicle to prevent the possibility of it damaging persons or property,” the report states. “The vehicle then collided with mine, causing minor damage to both vehicles.”

As the officer exited his patrol car to chase Lee, he saw the male passenger, identified as Davion L. Carson, exit the vehicle just after the crash. Carson complied with orders and was detained, reports said.

A short time later, other officers found Lee in a backyard a few houses away from where he had started running. He was subsequently arrested, and empty baggies were allegedly located near him.

During the police inventory of the vehicle, suspected drugs were located tucked between the center console and the passenger seat. There was an unknown white substance observed on the passenger side floorboard. Officers then retraced the route of the pursuit and located several baggies of suspected drugs in the roadway.

Four baggies of suspected narcotics were found on South North Street, a baggie of crack cocaine was located on South North Street at Fourth Street, a baggie of white powder was located on South North Street, and a baggie of meth and a baggie of white powder were found on South North Street at Cherry Street, according to reports.

Reach Ryan Carter at 740-313-0352.