Greenfield man gets community control in hashish possession case

A Greenfield man was sentenced to community control recently after pleading guilty to an amended count of possession of hashish.

Richard Scowden, 27, was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in October on charges of trafficking in hashish (liquid) in the vicinity of a school zone, a first-degree felony, and possession of hashish (liquid), a second-degree felony. The indictment was made secret until his arrest in January.

According to a bill of particulars, the charges stemmed from a Highland County Task Force investigation. It was alleged that Scowden and other co-defendants were observed “loading things at a stash house” and then returning to a house in Hillsboro in May 2022. It is alleged that 663 grams of hashish in liquid form were located during a search warrant.

Scowden pleaded guilty Feb. 1 to an amended count of possession of hashish (liquid), lowered from a second-degree felony to a third-degree felony. As amended, it is alleged that Scowden “did knowingly obtain, possess or use … hashish in liquid form in an amount equal to or exceeding 50 grams but less than 200 grams.”

During a hearing March 13, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Scowden to three years of community control and ordered Scowden to be evaluated for substance use disorder and successfully complete any recommended treatment, according to court records. 

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