30 people arrested in weekend sweep in Chillicothe
CHILLICOTHE - Frustrated by another series of heroin overdoses, Chillicothe Police Chief Keith Washburn said he knew it was time to send a message to drug dealers.
In March, he began working with state and federal agencies to conduct undercover operations with the intention of sending a message to people who sell drugs in the city: "If you're going to deal drugs, stay out of our community. We don't want you here. You're not welcome. We're going to get you."
He made the comments during a Monday news conference announcing the arrests of 30 people in a weekend drug sting.
At least 50 local, state and federal officers and two SWAT teams converged on Chillicothe to make the arrests. Twenty-two were felony arrests, while eight were misdemeanors. Charges included tampering with evidence and drug-related charges. Many people were arrested in Chillicothe, while other arrests took place in the Columbus and Cincinnati areas.
Officers reported they seized cocaine, marijuana, pills, cash and guns, including one AK-47. Chillicothe Police Detective Bud Lytle said numerous arrests were made at 374 E. Fourth St.
Washburn said some of the people who were indicted are considered to be mid-level, and there were some connections between them and other cities. He went on to confirm officials think they are dealing with multiple drug rings, but he would not go into specifics, citing the integrity of the ongoing investigation. Officials said there are additional people being investigated.
The sweeps was spurred by Friday's grand jury session, in which 38 indictments were returned, but only eight were open. The rest were secret indictments, meaning they were not open to the public until they are served. Twenty-eight of those cases were related to the drug investigations.
Washburn called the investigation "pretty significant" and said about half of the people indicted are local, while others are from Columbus and Dayton areas. Six people indicted are still at large.
Many of the people served with secret indictments were arraigned Monday in Ross County Common Pleas Court.
Agencies involved were the Chillicothe Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service, Ohio Investigative Unit, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Ross County Prosecutor's Office.
"This is going to be as large as we can possibly make it. As you know, we have a significant drug problem here. We're going to do whatever we can to combat that problem," Washburn said.
When questioned about the influence of the roundup, Washburn said there were not any overdoses over the weekend. This year, his officers have responded to 184 overdose calls and issued 74 doses of naloxone, a drug that counters the effects of an opiate overdose. There have been 24 confirmed overdose deaths in Ross County and 13 confirmed overdose deaths within the city, he said.
"You're never going to eradicate the drug trade. What we want to do is make the supply harder to get. There's nothing we can do about the demand. That's up to the individual to seek treatment, cure themselves, but what we want to do is make it harder for that person to get the drugs. And along with the drugs come the outlying crimes, such as theft, robbery, we want to slow that down too," Washburn said.
Washburn asked residents to continue to call in with tips and information on suspected drug activity. He said one of the complaints he hears most is that when residents call in tips, they don't always see an officer respond. He said it takes time to build these cases, but every tip is investigated.
So far, there have been no links between the investigation referenced Monday and the investigation of six area women who went missing or died between 2014 and 2015, Washburn said. However, he said everyone arrested is being questioned about the women.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chillicothe Police Department at 740-773-1191. Information also can be reported anonymously through Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers by calling 740-773-TIPS (8477) or by visiting www.southernohiocrimestoppers.org.
By the numbers
30: Number of arrests during a weekend drug sweep, including 28 on secret drug-related indictments issued by Friday’s session of the Ross County grand jury.
50: Law enforcement officers from local, state, and federal agencies who helped with the sweep.
184: Number of overdose calls in Chillicothe in 2016.
74: Doses of naloxone, an overdose counteracting drug, given by the city's officers in 2016.
24: Number of overdose deaths in Ross County in 2016; 13 of them were inside the city limits.