Upstate man sentenced for trafficking meth and assaulting police

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – March 18, 2021 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that 26-year-old Eric Barron pled guilty Tuesday in Cherokee County to drug and assault charges and was sentenced to a negotiated five years in prison.

Barron pled to Trafficking Meth, 10 grams or more but less than 28 grams, Assaulting a Police Officer While Resisting Arrest, and Possession of Contraband in County Jail. He also pled to an additional trafficking meth charge that was prosecuted by the Solicitor’s Office. Barron had no prior record, but if he is ever arrested again for a violent, serious crime he will be eligible to be sentenced to life without parole.

These charges are from September 12, 2019, when police attempted to make a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle on Lyman Street in Gaffney. Barron got out of the vehicle, fought with the officer and then ran away. Barron was armed, so it’s fortunate this did not escalate into Barron or the officer firing any shots. He was arrested in December.

Assistant Attorney General Savanna Goude prosecuted this case.