UPDATED: Defendants arrested in drug round-up
Law enforcement authorities wrapped up a four month investigation Monday night, netting 10 defendants on drug charges.Officers from eight law enforcement agencies fanned out across Holmes County armed with arrest warrants for 17 adults and one juvenile. Among those charged are several Amish men, a reminder that drugs are a problem all over the county, Holmes County Sheriff Tim Zimmerly said.We see drugs county-wide. The Amish arent exempt, Zimmerly said. The church leaders know it and they will tell you that.The round-up was the first of its kind coordinated by the sheriffs drug enforcement unit. When Zimmerly formed a drug task force within his office two years ago, the idea was to make arrests as soon as possible to remove the threat posed by drug activity.However, the current investigations involved at least two confidential informants who would have been exposed if arrests were made before their job was done.I have never been, and I still am not, a big believer that you should hold back charges for a year just to arrest 50 or 60 people, Zimmerly said. In this case, however, Zimmerly said, we cant arrest until our investigation is complete. We cant arrest without burning our people.Zimmerly said the investigation turned up evidence that synthetic drugs are making inroads. So-called bath salts and synthetic marijuana, known as K2 or Spice, were among drugs purchased during the course of the investigation.Prosecuting Attorney Steve Knowling said the emergence of synthetic drugs is troubling because the side effects often lead to hallucinations and violent behavior that, in turn, spur more crimes.You always have the secondary issues, you have theft because people will steal to raise the money for their drugs, Knowling said. Bath salts create their own problems. You have people acting out violently and hallucinating. So we see assaults, traffic accidents.The arrest warrants were accompanied by criminal indictments handed down in a special session May 1 of the grand jury.Arrested in Monday nights sweep were: Clinton J. Yoder, 20, of 6031 County Road 201, Millersburg, on one count of trafficking in marijuana; Crystal J. Dilly, 28, of 101 E. Purdy St., Killbuck, on one count of permitting drug abuse; Donn A. Hobson, III, 31, of 3042 Township Road 29, Killbuck, on one count of trafficking in marijuana within the vicinity of a juvenile; Marlene A. Baragona, 36, of 480 Moose Drive, Killbuck, on three counts of aggravated trafficking in a schedule II substance within the vicinity of a school and one count of trafficking in heroin within the vicinity of a juvenile and a school; Leo B. Baragona, III, 28, of 480 Moose Drive, Killbuck, on one count of trafficking in heroin within the vicinity of a school and one count of aggravated trafficking in a schedule II substance within the vicinity of a school; Byron N. Deutschle, 49, of 490 1/2 N. Main St., Killbuck, on one count of aggravated trafficking in a schedule II substance and one count of trafficking in a schedule IV substance within the vicinity of a juvenile; Tyler J. Snyder, 19, of 2726 Township Road 33, Killbuck, on one count of cultivation of marijuana;; Holly L. Petree, 32, of 478 N. Water St., Killbuck, on one count of illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, one count of illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, one count of aggravated possession of methamphetamine and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia; Adam D. Miller, 18, of 10207 Ely Road, Orrville, on two counts of trafficking in marijuana, three counts of permitting drug abuse and one count of trafficking in Spice; Roy Alan Troyer, 9979 Lautenschlager Road, Apple Creek, on three counts of trafficking in marijuana, one count of trafficking in marijuana within the vicinity of a school, one count of trafficking in Spice, one count of trafficking in drugs within the vicinity of a school and three counts of permitting drug abuse; Larry M. Weaver, 22, of 6602 state Route 241, Millersburg, on one count of trafficking in marijuana and one count of trafficking in marijuana in the vicinity of a school.The following individuals have also been taken into custody, as of May 10: David A. Miller, 24, of 6724 County Road 77, Millersburg, on one count of trafficking in marijuana and two counts of trafficking in Spice; Joshua E. Baker, 28, of 280 North Main St., Killbuck, on three counts of permitting drug abuse; and John J. Miller, 24, of 7866 Frease Road, Fredericksburg, on one count of trafficking in marijuana.Among the indictments is a 17-year-old juvenile charged with two counts of trafficking in marijuana within the vicinity of a school, aggravated trafficking within the vicinity of a school, grand theft of a firearm and 10 counts of breaking and entering.Assisting in the round-up were the Millersburg Police Department, Glenmont Police Department, Holmes County Adult Probation, Holmes County Juvenile Probation, Tuscarawas County Sheriffs office and Carroll County Sheriffs office. Medway Drug Enforcement Agency assisted in serving two warrants in Wayne County.
