Coatesville Drug Dealer Sentenced to 20-40 Years in Prison

Kenneth ColeKenneth Cole (submitted Image)

WEST CHESTER, PA — Judge Analisa Sondergaard sentenced 44-year-old Kenneth Cole of Coatesville to 20-40 years in prison for multiple counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, felon not to possess a firearm, assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and related charges, announced Chester County First Assistant Distrcit Attorney Mike Barry.

The sentence encompasses three cases:

• On May 23, 2019, Coatesville City Police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance between the defendant and his wife on Rosemont Avenue in Coatesville. The defendant retreated into the house when police arrived. Refusing to comply with police, the defendant used his 11-year-old son as a shield against the taser and firearm that police had pointed at him. When the defendant was finally handcuffed, he resisted efforts by law enforcement and EMS to load him into a vehicle.

In September 2021, a jury found the defendant guilty of endangering the welfare of a child and related charges.

• On Sept. 15, 2019, the defendant’s wife reported to Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) that the defendant had assaulted her while driving from Philadelphia to Coatesville. The victim was taken to Brandywine Hospital for treatment.

In March 2022, the defendant pled guilty to simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

• On Aug. 14, 2020, Chester County Detectives (CCD) and the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) arrested the defendant for selling cocaine, methamphetamine, and various prescription pills from his house in Coatesville. During a house search warrant, investigators found multiple controlled substances, three illegal firearms, over $60,000 in cash, and drug packaging and manufacturing paraphernalia.

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In March 2022, a jury found the defendant guilty of multiple counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and felon not to possess a firearm.

“Kenneth Cole is a drug dealer and menace to Coatesville and his own family. He endangered his community by peddling drugs to those suffering from substance use disorder while lining his pockets with money and food stamps,” said Barry. “He kept his stash of drugs and weapons inside his family’s home and jeopardized his child’s life to save his own. Kenneth Cole earned this lengthy sentence, and Coatesville is safer without him living there.”

Chesetr Count Detectives, the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the Coatesville Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police were credited with the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Cole. Assistant District Attorney Kate Wright was assigned prosecutor by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.

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