Matson arraigned on heroin possession, other charges

ZANESVILLE - A man arrested during a January raid at a home on Larzelere Avenue where police say they seized heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and a gun was arraigned Wednesday on four charges.

A Muskingum County grand jury indicted Timothy R. Matson last week on four drug possession charges and one weapons charge, all of which stem from a Jan. 28 raid at his home that yielded $151,500 in cash and illegal drugs, authorities said. Officials reported the 2,600 unit doses was the largest amount of heroin seized in county history during a single raid.

Each dose is equivalent to one hit to get a person high, Sheriff Matt Lutz said.

Agents take $105,000 in heroin off streets, arrest one

Matson, known as "World" on the streets, had his first appearance in common pleas court in front of Judge Kelly Cottrill. Attorney Jessica Wirick, who represented Matson only for his arraignment, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf, and Cottrill maintained his $1 million bond.

The 36-year-old could face up to 26 years in prison on four separate felonies, including possession of heroin, a first-degree felony; possession of methamphetamine, a second-degree felony; possession of marijuana, a fifth-degree felony; and a third-degree felonious weapons charge.

His criminal record prohibits him from owning weapons.

The first count contains a major drug offender specification and a firearm specification, which could add prison time onto a potential sentence. The other two possession counts have similar firearm specifications.

The prosecutor's office also attached two forfeiture specifications to the first two counts of the indictment.

The state is asking that Matson be forced to forfeit $18,809.31 in cash, a 2002 H2 Hummer, a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun, a 2006 college national championship ring, a security system, a Vizio television, digital scales, two silver necklaces with stones, a watch, a silver bracelet with stones and gems, two silver rings with stones and a fake $10 bill, Prosecutor Mike Haddox has said.

The cash and other items are believed to have been obtained with money from, or are otherwise tied to, Matson's alleged drug trade, according to the prosecutor's office.

Matson's arrest and subsequent indictment was part of a joint investigation among local agencies, including the Zanesville Police Department, Muskingum County Sheriff's Office and the Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force. Matson became a target of law enforcement after officials received an anonymous tip regarding his alleged drug activities, Zanesville police Capt. Doug Merry has said.

Previously convicted of trafficking drugs within the city, Matson has been on law enforcement's radar since his release from prison two years ago, Lutz previously said.

Zanesville police's special response team raided Matson's home where, in addition to the heroin, officials reportedly seized, $25,000 worth of methamphetamine, $3,000 worth of marijuana, $18,500 in cash, and a semiautomatic handgun.

The heroin alone had a street value of $105,000, a county record, Lutz has said.

The second largest heroin seizure occurred in 2009, when agents seized 70 unit doses of the drug, Lutz said. That raid also resulted in Matson's arrest. He served a three-year prison term after he pleaded guilty in that case to nine felonies, most for possession and trafficking of various drugs.

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