Johnson man pleads guilty in meth case

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

PIKEVILLE —A Johnson County man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Nov. 30 to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, but a date for his sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

Sean Tharp, 36, of Hager Hill, entered the plea before Magistrate Judge Edward Atkins.

According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, a 10-month investigation conducted by Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Meade, Operation UNITE and the Drug Enforcement Administration office London resulted in Tharp’s arrest.

The investigation revealed that between April and September, Tharp conspired with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine into Johnson and surrounding counties, a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He admitted to developing a relationship with a supplier outside of Kentucky, according to the release.

Tharp admitted to traveling to Georgia on multiple occasions to obtain pound quantities of methamphetamine, which he brought back to the Johnson County area to sell, the release said.

Tharp was indicted in September 2020 and faces

a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, the release said.

Johnson County Sheriff Doug Saylor thanked Operation UNITE, the DEA of London, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Trimble for the successful apprehension and prosecution of Tharp.

“We continue to aggressively investigate the illegal drug activity in Johnson County and strongly urge our citizens to report any drug activity to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office tip line 606-788-0252,” Saylor said on his Facebook page.