by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Curtis Everhart, 31, of Wellington has been sentenced in Sumner County District Court to 65 months  — nearly 5 1/2 years — in prison for pleading guilty to two different counts of distribution of methamphetamine, level 4 drug felonies.

Everhart’s time in state prison could be reduced by 15 percent or 55 months for good behavior.

Everhart pled guilty on two separate incidents – one on Wednesday, June 19 and one on Friday, May 24. The two sentences were concurrent meaning that Everhart will be serving time for both sentences at the same time, said Sumner County Attorney Kerwin Spencer.

Spencer said had it not been for Everhart’s involvement with a high-speed chase that started in Wichita and ended in Wellington on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 involving four Latino men, the City of Wellington police department and the Sumner County Drug Task Force may have never looked into Everhart’s drug activities.

“That was a case of one of Sumner County’s bigger drug dealers, getting involved with much bigger drug dealers in Wichita in a deal that went bad,” Spencer said.

On Feb. 26, four Latino men allegedly started chasing Everhart in a four-car chase that started in Sedgwick County, and ended peacefully in Wellington at 2:46 p.m. in the Orscheln’s Store parking lot in west Wellington at 1203 W. Eighth (see story here). Spencer said Everhart, driving a black Lincoln LS, was being pursued by three vehicles that involved the four suspects.

“He was the victim in that crime,” Spencer said. “But this wasn’t the case with his subsequent cases.”

On Friday, May 24, Everhart was then accused of obtaining a 22-inch Vizio television from a Winfield Wal-Mart originally said to be stolen by Gail Leighty. He then was obtained in Wellington where he was accused of having 24 grams of meth inside a black pouch in his glove compartment (see story here).

Then on June 19, Everhart was arrested again for distribution of .17 grams of meth to two middlemen at the Wellington Steakhouse Motel on March 20. (See story here.)

Spencer said other lesser felony and misdemeanor charges were dismissed after obtaining guilty pleas on the lengthier felony convictions.