Sheriff: More suspects in shatter lab investigation
WAVERLY - Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader said there are additional suspects in the case of a shatter lab officials reported finding in January in a Pike County home, but for now, charges have been dropped against two people officials think were involved.
Charges of illegal manufacture of drugs or cultivation of marijuana, illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, possession of criminal tools, and possession of drugs were dropped against Derek G. Boyer, 27, of Piketon, and Aaron Higgins, 26, of Beaver, court records show and Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk confirmed. Reader said Boyer and Higgins are still suspects.
Reader said when lab results are returned and confirmed, other arrests could be made in the continuing investigation.
Junk said he is waiting on the Pike County Sheriff's Office to finish investigating the case before presenting it to a grand jury for possible indictment. That includes having more evidence collected and tested by Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Junk said it could be another month or two before the case is ready to be heard by a grand jury.
Boyer's home was searched in January, where officials said a shatter lab — an operation that uses butane to produce a type of cannabis concentrate that resembles honey — was found, which resulted in the now-dismissed charges against Boyer and Higgins being filed in June.
Junk said he sent a letter to Reader's office that listed everything he wanted done before he could take the case to a Pike County grand jury. Those items included DNA and fingerprinting, Junk said. Reader confirmed he received the letter, and he said it was the first time in the 15 months he has been sheriff he's received such a letter this from the prosecutor's office.
The letter was forwarded to the superintendent of the BCI, who will see to making sure the requests made in the letter are handled, Reader said, adding any other requests submitted in writing will be sent to the superintendent to look at and conduct testing if it can be done.
One requirement from the letter may not be able to be fulfilled, but Reader said based on what information and evidence officials already had, he does not think it will affect the investigation.
When testing is complete, the case will once again be sent to Junk's office for presentation to a grand jury.
In his letter, Junk also asked the Sheriff's Office to find someone to testify in court based on their experience and knowledge that what was found in the Pike County home was, in fact, a shatter lab. Junk said if the sheriff found an expert, the information was not in the case packet given to his office. Reader said he has found an expert, and he is prepared to bring that person in from outside the state to testify to the lab, its contents and the process.
There's one thing both can agree on: Nothing like this has been seen before in Pike County. Reader said the alleged shatter lab is only the second reported found in the state.
The case stems from a call to the Sheriff's Office on Jan. 26 from the Piketon postmaster, who was concerned that a package smelled like marijuana.
Inside the package, officials reported they found a large amount of marijuana. The package was traced to Boyer's home, where deputies reported they found a shatter lab. The substance can be inhaled for a stronger high than regular marijuana.
At the time, Reader said deputies found numerous cans of butane; evidence of hash oil, or "shatter," inside Boyer's home; and a tube filled with marijuana being processed.
Junk continued to say Boyer and Higgins are still cooperating with the investigation.
Reader said the investigation is not related to other drug investigations at this time, and he has previously said there is no connection to the deaths of eight people in Pike County, whose bodies were discovered April 22.
