Conway man pleads guilty to gun, drug charges during trial

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Conway man pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges in the middle of his trial this week and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.

Napoleon Richardson Jr., 37, pleaded guilty late Wednesday night during his trial, which started on Tuesday, the solicitor’s office said. He pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and trafficking methamphetamine of 28 to 100 grams.

Judge Michael Nettles presided over the trial and sentenced Richardson to 20 years in prison for the fentanyl charge, 18 years for the meth charge and two days for the weapon charge, according to the solicitor’s office. The sentences will run concurrently and Richardson is not eligible for parole.

Richardson had multiple prior convictions and decided to plead guilty before the jury went into deliberations.

“We appreciate the thorough investigation by Horry County police, specifically Brandon Rabon, Daniel Spencer and Courtney Johnson on this case to bring this defendant to justice,” senior assistant solicitor Josh Holford said in a news release.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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