Zig Stag owner arrested

The owner of to Zig Stag, 20 E. Market St., Tiffin, was arrested Thursday night after being indicted by a Seneca County grand jury on five felony charges.

Shawn G. Stagnolia, 35, of Tiffin, faces one count each of aggravated possession of drugs, distribution of tobacco products with the intent to avoid payment of tax, possession of untaxed tobacco products, failure to file a withholding return and permitting drug abuse, according to a release from the Seneca County Drug Task Force METRICH Enforcement Unit.

The arrest concluded a lengthy drug investigation conducted by METRICH, the Attorney General's Office, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification.

A search warrant had been conducted at the store, in February after law enforcement officials began receiving complaints about young adults, including juveniles, abusing synthetic marijuana.

The store also faces a civil lawsuit filed by the Attorney General's Office claiming it violated the consumer sales act and public nuisance laws.

"These combined efforts were just a small example of our accomplishments with working together with all local and state law enforcement agencies to combat against our rising drug abuse epidemic involving synthetic drugs that we are presently battling in our community," Tiffin Police Chief Fred Stevens said in the release.

Stagnolia is incarcerated at Seneca County jail awaiting further proceedings, the release states.

Originally published in the Advertiser Tribune on June 21, 2013.

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