Georgetown man sentenced to 11 years on drug charges

GEORGETOWN — A Georgetown man pleaded guilty to several drug charges Aug. 11 and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Corey Rutledge, 48, of Georgetown, pleaded under North Carolina versus Alford to two counts of second-offense distribution of cocaine base and one count of second-offense trafficking cocaine base, said Alicia Richardson, the deputy solicitor who prosecuted the case for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

In an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges a jury would likely convict based on the evidence.

Circuit Court Judge William H. Seals Jr. presided over the hearing and sentenced Rutledge to 11 years in prison. The trafficking charge is a violent offense and Rutledge is not eligible for parole until he has served at least 85 percent of the sentence, according to a press release from the solicitor’s office.

Randal Seyler is the editor of the Georgetown Times and the Myrtle Beach Post and Courier.