City man has bond set at $1M on possession charge

The man whose residence was the scene of a drug bust Friday had his initial court appearance Monday.

Crawford County Municipal Court Judge Sean Leuthold set bond at $1 million for Keith C. Williams, 50, charged with a third-degree felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.

Law enforcement officials said a large quantity of heroin, along with prescription pills, syringes, drug paraphernalia and cash, were found inside the 235 East Rensselaer Street residence and on the suspect.

“There are some disturbing things in this case. This is a significant amount of heroin, as well as a spoon, multiple syringes and a digital scale,” Leuthold said.

Bucyrus Assistant Prosecutor David Keller said the amount of heroin seized is about 5 grams. Keller recommended bond be set at $250,000.

“All this indicates drug trafficking. As such, he is an extreme danger to the public. Dealing heroin in our community is tantamount to poisoning people,” Leuthold said.

Williams also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug abuse instruments. Leuthold appointed Brad Starkey to represent Williams in both cases.

In December 2011, Williams was jailed for 75 days on a second-degree felony assault charge. He was found not guilty. The original charge was robbery, but it was merged to felonious assault. Keller said Williams had a drug charge in 1992, as well as other criminal history.

Friday’s arrest involved Bucyrus and Galion Police departments, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio Highway Patrol and METRICH enforcement unit.

Originally published in the Telegraph Forum on September 22, 2014.