District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced that two men in two separate cases in Macon County pleaded guilty recently to trafficking illegal drugs.
Joshua Charles Schooler
In the first case, Franklin resident Joshua Charles Schooler, 36, was sentenced in Macon County Superior Court for trafficking in methamphetamine.
Superior Court Judge Nathan Poovey ordered Schooler to pay a mandatory $50,000 fine and serve a minimum active prison sentence of 70 months up to a maximum active prison sentence of 93 months.
Schooler pleaded guilty to trafficking in methamphetamine in the amount of 53.7 grams.
On Nov. 17, 2023, with active warrants for property crimes in hand, detectives Robbie Younce and Matt Breedlove went to a residence on John Teague Road.
They found Schooler at the rear of the property. In a black bag they’d earlier observed him wearing, the detectives discovered both the drugs and drug paraphernalia.
In the other case,
Tyrice “Skin” Rochard Hutchins
, 47, of Conyers, Ga., was sentenced in Macon County Superior Court on two counts of trafficking cocaine.
Superior Court Judge Tessa Sellers ordered Hutchins to pay a mandatory $100,000 fine and serve two consecutive sentences of 70 to 93 months.
Hutchins participated in controlled buys in Macon County in March 2023. Later, he was arrested on a traffic stop after entering North Carolina and charged with trafficking.
His arrest was a joint effort by Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin Police Department, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Office of District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch, 43rd Prosecutorial District, release
