15 detained in drug sweep
Law enforcement officers traveled throughout Seneca County Friday to arrest people indicted by a Seneca County grand jury on drug charges.
The grand jury had indicted 26 people Wednesday as part of drug investigations. Fifteen people were in custody Friday, and the other 11 remained at large.
Chief Fred Stevens of Tiffin Police Department said local departments don’t put their heads in the sand.
“We know we have a drug problem, just like the rest of the nation does,” he said.
The investigations led to 28 counts of trafficking in heroin, 23 counts of trafficking in cocaine, one count of trafficking marijuana, six counts of possession of cocaine, three counts of aggravated possession, three counts of permitting drug abuse, one count of corrupting another with drugs, four counts of trafficking prescription medication, one count of tampering with evidence, five counts of possession of criminal tools and one count of endangering children, according to a release from Seneca County Drug Task Force — METRICH Enforcement Unit.
In custody Friday were:
• Anna Angel, 35, of Tiffin — two counts of trafficking in cocaine.
• Donald L. Angel Jr., 36, of Tiffin — trafficking in cocaine.
• Hanna M. Bicknell, 25, of Fostoria — trafficking in heroin.
• Michael W. Conley, 41, of Crestline — two counts of trafficking in heroin.
• Michael S. Delarosa, 31, of Fostoria — two counts of trafficking in cocaine, two counts of possession of cocaine, two counts of aggravated possession and one count of possession of drugs.
• Daniel J. Faust, 24, of Tiffin — three counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs.
• Tommy C. Halcomb Jr., 29, of Tiffin — aggravated trafficking in drugs and three counts of trafficking in heroin.
• Dominic T. Hitchcock, 23, of Tiffin — aggravated trafficking in drugs.
• Tommy L. Hronek, 26, of Tiffin — two counts of trafficking in cocaine.
• Krista Jackson, 40, of Fostoria — two counts of permitting drug abuse.
• Kimberly A. Kistler, 45, of Tiffin — tampering with evidence, possession of criminal tools and three counts of trafficking in crack cocaine.
• Leticia N. Lopez, 29, of Tiffin — aggravated trafficking in drugs.
• Brian Martin, 43, of Fremont — trafficking in cocaine, possession of cocaine and two counts of possession of criminal tools.
• Steven P. Mason, 34, of Fostoria — trafficking in heroin and trafficking in cocaine.
• Antwantonyo R. Waites, 33, of Toledo — trafficking in cocaine, possession of cocaine, possession of criminal tools and endangering children.
Four arrest teams and one transport team with personnel from Tiffin and Fostoria police departments, Seneca County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s narcotics division executed the roundup.
Detective Chuck Boyer, unit coordinator of Seneca County Drug Task Force — METRICH Enforcement Unit, said officials were ending separate drug operations. The unit had received a lot of laboratory results, he said.
“(This is) something that we do periodically,” he said.
Stevens said the operation was another example of multi-jurisdictional cooperation, and Chief Keith Loreno of Fostoria Police Department said it benefits everyone in the county and cities.
Sheriff Bill Eckelberry of Seneca County Sheriff’s Office said officials wanted to send a strong message to those who bring poison into the community that they are not going to tolerate it.
Loreno said the people arrested know what they’re doing is illegal. Officials are not tolerant of it and are not going to let off the pressure, he said.
“After today, there will be much more time spent in prosecution,” he said.
Eckelberry said those not arrested Friday would be entered in a nationwide database. They would get stopped in the future and end up at Seneca County Jail, he said.
“We don’t stop (looking),” he said.
Originally published in the Advertiser Tribune on April 21, 2018.