Four suspects were arrested on drug charges last week after the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office found approximately $40,000 in methamphetamine, fentanyl and crack cocaine during their second search of a Solon residence in just under two months.
At about 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division executed a search warrant at the Solon residence of Cory Miller, as the result of a monthlong investigation into alleged drug trafficking taking place at the house.
Miller’s Solon residence was previously raided by law enforcement on Sept. 13, 2024, after which he was charged with two counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs.
At the time of the Sheriff’s Office second search of the property last Thursday, Miller was out on bail for his two prior drug trafficking charges.
During the Thursday morning search, over 400 grams of fentanyl, crack cocaine (cocaine base) and “crystal meth” (methamphetamine), a loaded 9mm pistol, illicit drug related documentation and illicit drug related paraphernalia was located and seized, said Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster.
The seized drugs have an approximate street value of $40,000, according to Lancaster.
Following the search, Miller, age 37, was arrested and charged with two additional counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs and violation of conditions of release.
Two other male suspects, one from Massachusetts and the other from New York, were also arrested as a result of the search, as well as a female suspect from Maine.
Devan Craig, 35, of Worcester, Mass., was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The drug charges are aggravated, due to the weight of the seized drugs, along with the presence of a firearm, Sheriff Lancaster said.
Zahkari Bennett, 22, of Manhattan, N.Y., was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, and unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.
Brittany Barton, 39, of Damariscotta, Maine, was arrested and charged with possession of scheduled drugs (Class D) and violation of conditions of release. At the time of her arrest, Barton was out on bail on an unrelated criminal charge, according to Lancaster.
All four of the suspects arrested in connection to the search of the Solon residence have an initial court date of 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, 2025, at the Somerset County Unified Criminal Court.
Both Miller and Barton — who both were out on bail conditions at the time of their arrests — are being held without bail at the Somerset County Jail.
Craig and Zahkari are both being held on $100,000 cash bail.
