A 37 year old man who got busted in Barberton back in March for having a large quantity of cocaine, cash, and drug paraphernalia in a house where small children where present, has been sentenced to 9 to 13.5 years in prison.

Skipper Tavares plead guilty to Trafficking in Cocaine with a Specification for Forfeiture of Money in a Drug Case – a 1st Degree Felony; and two counts of Endangering Children – a 1st Degree Misdemeanor.

He also plead guilty to violating the terms of his community control for prior drug trafficking convictions from 2022 and 2021.

According to Summit County Prosecutor, Elliot Kolkovich, Tavares’ arrest unfolded like this:

In March 2025, the Akron Police Narcotics Unit and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force executed a search warrant at the Barberton residence of Tavares Skipper, who was on Community Control for prior drug-trafficking convictions.

During surveillance, officers observed Skipper leave the home and conducted a traffic stop, during which he admitted there were drugs inside the residence and was taken into custody. While searching the residence, detectives recovered 158 grams of cocaine packaged in three baggies, several unidentified white pills, and $2,935 in cash suspected to be drug-trafficking proceeds. Officers also seized digital scales, glass bowls with drug residue, and cutting agents.

One child was in the car with Skipper at the time of his arrest, and another child, who was five years old at the time, was discovered alone in the home during the search.