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Three residents from Ohio arrested on felony drug charges
Several containers of hidden marijuana and a suitcase full of cash have three Cincinnati-area residents in the Putnam County Jail facing felony charges.
Interstate Criminal Enforcement officers from the Putnam County Sheriff's Department arrested the trio Thursday following an early-morning traffic stop on Interstate 70. The investigation revealed the drugs and a suitcase filled with an as-yet unknown, but significant, amount of U.S. currency.
Two men, 19-year old Richard Joseph Williams and 20-year-old Jonah Jacob Halvorson, both of Cincinnati, were seated in the front. They face charges of possession of marijuana (more than 30 grams) and dealing in marijuana, both Class D felonies.
A sheriff's department spokesman estimated there to be approximately a quarter-pound of marijuana, well in excess of the 30-gram threshold that warrants felony charges.
In addition to the drug charges, the backseat passenger, 48-year-old Amy M. Steffen of Loveland, Ohio, is also charged with Class C felony money laundering in connection with the suitcase.
Both men denied having any knowledge of the money or its origin.
Lt. Dwight Simmons made the stop of the westbound Volkswagen on I-70 and was the investigating officer. Sgt. Craig Sibbitt and Deputy Mike Downing assisted in the search, investigation and subsequent arrests.
The drugs were discovered in a number of receptacles, including a Pringles can and a multiple aerosol cans with false bottoms.
Officials from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency seized the money, so an exact amount is not known at this time.
No official report had been filed as of Thursday, so a number of details remain unclear. However, all three individuals were booked into the Putnam County Jail between 3:30 and 5 a.m. Thursday.
Although a federal agency is involved in seizing the money, the three individuals should face charges in a Putnam County court.
The investigation is ongoing. More details will be released when they become available.