ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office announced two major convictions this week in unrelated drug trafficking and child sex abuse cases.
Jeremy Ryan Clontz, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of Class E trafficking in opium or heroin and was sentenced to 90 to 120 months in prison along with a $100,000 fine. The conviction followed an investigation in which law enforcement observed Clontz involved in suspected drug activity, theBuncombe County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. After officers initiated a traffic stop, a K9 unit alerted to narcotics in the vehicle. A search revealed a trafficking quantity of fentanyl.
In a separate case, Timothy Oneil Fowler II, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted statutory rape and received a sentence of 94 to 173 months in prison,m the news release said. He will be required to register as a sex offender for 30 years and is subject to a permanent no-contact order with the victim.
According to court testimony, Fowler, who was dating the victim’s mother, engaged in sexual contact with the underage victim. The offense was discovered after Fowler reportedly boasted about the act to a friend, who then informed the victim’s mother. She notified authorities immediately.
The victim and her mother said they were pleased with the resolution and grateful they were able to avoid a trial.
District Attorney Todd Williams thanked the Asheville Police Department and Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office for their work on the investigations. Both convictions were secured during the current term of Buncombe County Superior Court before Judge Jacqueline Grant.