Local man receives lengthy prison sentence in drug case

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A Van Wert man arrested in connection with a large-scale drug discovery in the city was in court for sentencing on Tuesday.

Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Judge Martin D. Burchfield sentenced Devon Couch to a total of 15 to 20 1/2 years in prison on four charges: possession of cocaine, a first degree felony; possession of drugs, a second degree felony; possession of hashish, a second degree felony, and possession of marijuana, a third degree felony.

Couch pleaded guilty to the charges, all of which carried firearm specifications, last month.

During Tuesday’s hearing, defense attorney Zachary Maisch requested the mininum sentence of 12 years.

“To put it boldly, we believe that the 12-years of mandatory prison is sufficient,” Maisch said. “His demeanor has changed immensely from the approximate 250 days he’s been sitting in jail. He has started programs while being incarcerated in the Van Wert County Jail. He’s attending NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting and he’s started what’s called ‘Time Well Spent.’

Couch also addressed the court, apologized, and noted he has a newborn son and requested leniency.

“I do think I’m showing responsbility for my actions  and I know they were a mistake,” he said.

Prior to the sentence being imposed, Van Wert County Prosecutor Dillon Staas, IV referred to testimony by Van Wert Police Lt. Rob Black, who said by far, it was the most cocaine he had ever seized in a case. He also recalled text messages sent by Couch.

“The text messages recovered from Mr. Couch’s phone regarding his intentions – what he was willing to do to avoid being caught – which included violence on police officers,” Staas said.

After the hearing, Staas said he was satisfied with the sentence, which included the forfeiture of nearly $11,000 cash to the Van Wert Police Department. Firearms seized were also forfeited and Couch was ordered to pay court costs. Once released from prison, he’ll be on post-release control for 2-5 years. He received credit for 71 days in jail, but not for 180 days already served on an unrelated first degree misdemeanor assault charge.

He was indicted on eight charges in July — trafficking in cocaine, a first degree felony with a major drug offender specification; possession of cocaine, a first degree felony with a major drug offender specification; aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second degree felony; aggravated possession of drugs, a second degree felony; trafficking in hashish, a second degree felony; possession of hashish, a second degree felony; trafficking in marijuana, a third degree felony, and possession of marijuana, a third degree felony.

All of the charges were tied to a police call on December 21, 2025. The Van Wert Police Department and Van Wert EMS were dispatched to a possible overdose situation in the 700 block of N. Washington St. Police and paramedics arrived to find a younger male on the floor, unresponsive. He was treated by EMS and was transported to OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital.

While he was being treated at the scene, there were several drug items in plain view. The Van Wert Police department applied for a search warrant and confiscated what Police Chief Doug Weigle said was “an unbelievable amount of THC vape pens and cartridges.”

Other items that were consficated included a significant amount of cocaine, large amounts of marijuana and  hash oil or butter, a large amount of cash, gold, silver and copper bars (estimated worth of ($40,00, and a large amount of rifles and ammunition, including a flame thrower.

At the time, the street value of the drugs alone was estimated to be approximately $250,000.  The drugs were sent to a state lab for testing, which led to the length of time between the seizure and the indictment.