Wilmington man sentenced to prison for drug, property crimes

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man pleaded guilty to several charges that happened during a two year crime spree in New Hanover County.

The district attorney’s office says Logan David Ritchie, 21, pleaded guilty on Monday.

On August 9, 2016 Wilmington police officers responded to a two car accident in the area of
S. 8th and Orange Streets. A witness reported that a vehicle being driven by Ritchie ran a stop sign and caused the crash.

Inside Ritchie’s car, officers found 245 Alprazolam pills, cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, an airsoft gun, a mask and close to $9,000 in cash.

On March 24, 2017, while awaiting trial on the 2016 charges, Ritchie was found in possession of approximately 19.5 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and more than $3,400 in cash while riding in a car at Wrightsville Beach.

Less than two months after his arrest in Wrightsville Beach and while still out on bond, Ritchie broke into an apartment on Purgatory Lane and tried to break in another apartment on Telluride Lane.

Officers caught him at the scene with a number of items he had stolen. Ritchie gave  officers a fake name and date of birth when caught.

The district attorney’s office says in May of 2018, Ritchie and another man, Jason Curtis Matthews, broke into five cars and burglarized a home in the Echo Farms community.

The pair stole a number of items from the vehicles and got away with a TV, a computer, a video game system, a camera and a phone from inside of a home on Newcastleton Drive.

Matthews’ cases are still pending.

In court, Judge Phyllis Gorham sentenced Ritchie to between 3 1/2 and 6 1/2 years in prison. He will be placed on supervised probation for three years. If he does not successfuly comply with the conditions of his probation, he could receive an additional 8 1/2 years in prison.

Ritchie has other pending charges in both Harnett and Johnston Counties.