Man draws jail for meth delivery

NORRISTOWN » An Upper Gwynedd Township man accused of selling crystal meth in the North Penn region is on his way to jail after admitting to a felony drug-related charge.

Eugene Leslie Ruffner Jr., 51, of the 700 block of Dickerson Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to six to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine in connection with incidents that occurred between April and July of 2017. Ruffner was scheduled to report to the jail on March 13 to begin serving the sentence.

Under a plea agreement accepted by Judge Steven T. O’Neill, Ruffner also must complete two years’ probation following parole, meaning he will be under court supervision for about four years.

The judge added that Ruffner must submit to a drug and alcohol evaluation and must comply with all recommendations for treatment. Ruffner will be under “addict supervision,” meaning he will face routine drug tests, according to court documents.

Ruffner is eligible for the jail’s work release program during his incarceration period.

Detectives from the Lansdale Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit alleged in an affidavit of probable cause that they and Montgomery County Drug Task Force officers received information in April 2017 that Ruffner was peddling methamphetamine in the area. Detectives launched an investigation that included a controlled drug buy in the borough during which Ruffner sold a baggie of meth to a customer, according to a criminal complaint.

During the course of the drug transaction, drug task force officers had the meeting place under surveillance and observed Ruffner sell the drug to an individual, who was not identified in court documents.