3 Lexington drug dealers were sentenced to prison. 1 was connected to a fatal overdose

Authorities in Lexington County have sentenced multiple people to prison after investigators found them dealing narcotics.

“The dangers of illegal narcotics, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, continue to pose a grave risk to members of our community, especially young people who may not realize that a counterfeit pill contains a lethal dose of fentanyl,” Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard said in a news release .

“We are grateful to narcotics investigators for their efforts to rid Lexington County of these illegal substances,” Hubbard said.

Jakob Regan Dator, 21, pleaded guilty to trafficking fentanyl on July 23 and was sentenced to 20 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections by Circuit Court Judge Milton G. Kimpson. Under state law, he will not be eligible for parole.

The Lexington County Multi-Agency Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) began investigating the sale of fentanyl in 2023 following several drug overdoses, at least one of which was fatal.

They found Dator was dealing fentanyl, a highly lethal substance, in the form of pressed pills — counterfeit pills with the pharmaceutical markings of Oxycodone.

NET agents conducted an undercover purchase from Dator in July 2023. Agents then made a traffic stop and found that Dator had over 500 pills in his car. Testing confirmed the pills to be fentanyl.

Dator had previous convictions for robbery and criminal conspiracy.

Also convicted was Christina Lindemuth, 52, who pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine on July 26. Lindemuth was sentenced to 19 years in prison by Circuit Court Judge Walton J. McLeod IV. Under state law, she will not be eligible for parole.

Law enforcement was made aware of drugs and paraphernalia located in a West Columbia hotel room after check-out time in June 2022. Lindemuth attempted to enter the room while carrying a safe.

After obtaining a search warrant for the room and safe, investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department found more than 200 gram of methamphetamine inside the safe.

A third person, Bradford Scott Price, 39, pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, and was sentenced to 9 years in prison by McLeod. He too, will not by eligible for parole under state law.

In the fall of 2023, law enforcement, including the West Columbia Police Department , started a narcotics investigation with several controlled buys from Price at a residence in West Columbia. In November 2023, officers discovered over 35 grams of methamphetamine and over 8 grams of fentanyl with a search warrant.

Price, who has faced numerous convictions for drug offenses and property crimes, was on probation at the time of his arrest.

Dator, Lindemuth, and Price were taken to the S.C. Department of Corrections to begin their sentences, according to a news release.

“The 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and the Lexington County NET team will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who choose to pour drugs into our community,” Assistant Solicitor Jordan Cox said in a news release.