Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Combs agreed to plead guilty to maintaining a drug premises, according to federal court documents. He is facing up to 20 years in prison and a maximum of three years of supervised release. He will also be fined $500,000.
Combs is accused of allowing Goddard to use his home in the 1400 block of Ruskin Road to store and sell drugs. It’s unclear when he will be sentenced.
On Nov. 4, 2019, Combs reportedly was in the basement with Cortner and Goddard when he heard a knock on the door. He went to answer it, but Goddard stopped him and directed him away from the basement stairs, according to court documents.
That night, DelRio was part of a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force executing a search warrant at the house. DelRio entered the house after no one answered and proceeded to the basement.
Combs, knowing the layout of his own home, was aware “that someone coming down the basement stairs would be unable to see Goddard in the spot in which Goddard had positioned himself,” according to his plea agreement.
The plea agreement states that Combs saw Goddard point the handgun towards the basement stairs. Goddard allegedly fired shots into the basement ceiling and the basement stairwell.
DelRio immediately came under gunfire and was shot twice in the face, according to court records. He died three days later, on Nov. 7, 2019.
Goddard is facing charges for intentionally killing a law enforcement officer and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute drugs. The third suspect, Cortner, is accused of drug charges as well as gun charges related to the death or murder of someone connected to drug trafficking.
Goddard previously told investigators he thought the people entering the house were there to rob him, according to court records.
DelRio, 55, was a 30-year police veteran. Dayton Police Department officials last week said the impact he had on the community is “immeasurable.”
“His legacy remains etched in the hearts of his family, those who served alongside him, and the community he dedicated more than 30 years to protect,” said James Rider, a spokesperson of the police department. “Jorge loved his family, he loved this country, he loved working for the Dayton Police Department, and he loved working on the DEA Task Force.”
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