Ward takes 25-year plea

ANDERSON – Leroy Ward, of Plantersville, entered a guilty plea before 506th District Judge Albert McCaig Jr. Monday, Feb. 10, and was sentenced to 25-years for Delivery of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

Ward was subsequently arrested Wednesday, April 3, 2019, during the execution of a search warrant after a lengthy investigation that lasted over a year.

Law enforcement officials with Grimes County Sheriff’s Office, Navasota Police Department, Grimes County District Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, conducted surveillance on Ward’s residence for over a year.

Investigators were able to document that Ward was selling narcotics including cocaine and methamphetamine from the residence. During the search warrant narcotics and guns were recovered as evidence and officers seized cash, vehicles and real property involved for forfeiture as part of drug trafficking proceeds.

“The law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation put significant time and manpower into building this case. They made this prosecution possible,” stated Grimes County District Attorney Andria Bender.

Ward was on parole at the time of his arrest facing two counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. He was being prosecuted as a habitual offender due to his criminal history.

McCaig accepted the guilty plea from Ward and he was sentenced to 25-years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as part of the plea agreement. Ward is currently in the Grimes County Jail awaiting transfer to prison.

“Leroy Ward being removed from the community makes it a safer place,” said Bender. “I hope this sentence sends a message that drug dealing and narcotics trafficking will not be tolerated in Grimes County.”

Assistant DA Courtney Cain represented the State in the case.