Local man facing 3rd felony drug arrest in 4 years

A 23-year-old Mansfield man was arrested overnight when police found drugs and a handgun in his apartment during a search.

Zachary Scaggs was taken to Richland County Jail when a search of his apartment found 654 grams of marijuana, 6.5 grams of crack cocaine and a Kahr .40-caliber handgun. The marijuana had a street value of $1,000, according to a METRICH news release.

Mansfield Police and METRICH teamed up to search apartment 8 at 925 Brookfield Drive after officers spotted drugs inside the apartment in plain view during a disturbance complaint around 10 p.m. Friday. Judge Frank Ardis signed the search warrant.

Scaggs had a prior drug record, according to Richland County Court records.

He was convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and sentenced to one year in prison. He also pleaded guilty to three additional cocaine trafficking charges in 2013 and was sentenced to two years of community control with sanctions, according to court records.

Because Scaggs was convicted of a felony, he is not permitted to own a firearm. He faces charges for having a weapon while under disability in addition to drug charges.

Scaggs will remain in jail, pending a court appearance.

A 25-year-old man also was named in the Mansfield Police report related to the drug search, but that man has not been charged.