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Former fugitive gets 17 years in Wayne County

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The man who authorities say ran a multi-county drug trafficking ring before becoming a fugitive last year was sentenced to 17 years in prison in Wayne County April 6.

Richard Lawless, 49, of Polk, was convicted April 5 after a jury trial of kidnapping, felonious assault and abduction after he and another man, Michael Kouns, 27, of Creston, reportedly kidnapped two people at gunpoint at an address northwest of Wooster. They reportedly assaulted a male victim with a baseball bat after he was tied up.

These crimes were committed while the men were attempting to determine who was working with police – who were investigating a drug trafficking ring Lawless allegedly ran in Ashland, Wayne and Holmes counties, according to the Medina County Drug Task Force – who assisted in the investigation. Kouns previously received two years in prison after pleading guilty to felonious assault. [Read more…]

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Child Removed From Medina Meth Lab

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Medina police and drug task force agents discovered an active methamphetamine lab in an Abbeyville Road apartment early Wednesday afternoon.  Agents went to the apartment to speak to the residents about their excessive pseudoephedrine purchases.  Once there, one of the occupants consented to a search of the apartment.  During the search agents discovered an active one-pot meth lab reactionary vessel.  Due to the volatile nature of this type of methamphetamine manufacturing process the apartment, as well as those adjacent, was evacuated.  Specially trained and equipped task force agents were called to render the apartment safe.  Firefighters from the Medina Fire Dept were called to assist the agents and to help in ensuring the safety of the apartment complex should the need arise.

Two occupants of the apartment, 32 year-old Erica Grabowski and Jerry Canfield (age 36) were both arrested and later indicted on seven 1st degree felony counts of illegal manufacturing of drugs.

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Federally funded agency warns states considering legal pot

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States considering legalizing recreational marijuana should think again. That is the message of a federally funded agency which recently released a report on the negative effects of legal pot in Colorado.

“[Traffic] fatalities related to marijuana, it showed about a 28 percent increase [since legalization],” said Tom Gorman, director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which compiled the report. [Read more…]

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Seven arrests made in Medina

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Seven arrests were made and more are expected, Medina police said Friday, related to drug sales out of a Lafayette Road apartment that were linked to at least three overdoses.

Medina police, working with Medina County Drug Task Force agents, reported responding to three separate fentanyl overdose cases in a six-hour span Thursday. A fourth overdose was reported by Spencer Police later Thursday and is believed to be linked to the same batch of fentanyl.

Following the overdoses, police said, they seized “an illicit shipment of fentanyl” valued at just under $7,000 during a search in the 100 block of Lafayette Road.

Fentanyl is an opioid that officials say can have an effect similar to heroin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the drug can be hundreds of times more potent than heroin. [Read more…]

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Repeat Drug Offender Arrested by Drug Task Force Agents.

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David L. Reed has been arrested once again by Medina County Drug Task Force agents! Reed, age 54 of 416 Bronson St. in Medina, is in the Medina County Jail after an undercover agent purchased purported heroin from Reed. The transaction took place late Tuesday afternoon (July 28) at a Trease Road apartment complex in the city of Wadsworth. Shortly after the drug transaction took place, agents requested officers from the Wadsworth Police Department to stop the car that Reed was driving. David Reed was taken into custody without incident. A female in the car with Reed was temporarily detained and was later released without being charged with a crime. [Read more…]

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Heroin: Your first time may be your last

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