A Galion man could be facing two decades in prison after allegedly trafficking in crack cocaine.
The Union County Grand Jury has indicted Christopher Elijah Saultz, 23, on one count each of possession of cocaine and trafficking in cocaine, both felonies of the first degree.
According to court documents, at about 11:11 p.m., May 20, Saultz was driving his 2013 Honda westbound on U.S. 33 in Jerome Township. An Ohio State Highway Patrolman said he noticed Saultz was traveling in and out of the marked lanes. The trooper stopped the vehicle. While the trooper was talking with Saultz, he “immediately detected the odor of raw marijuana” coming from inside the car.
“While interacting with the defendant, he was very nervous,” according to a statement from the trooper.
The trooper asked Saultz to get out of the vehicle, which he did. The trooper read Saultz his rights then asked about the marijuana.
“The defendant declined to comment,” according to court documents.
During a search of the vehicle, investigators found “34.5 grams of crack cocaine, one blunt with suspected marijuana and a scale containing a white powdery substance,” according to court documents.
Union County Prosecutor David Phillips explained that in Ohio possession of more than 27 grams of cocaine is a first-degree felony with a mandatory prison sentence.
Often crack cocaine is sold in an eight ball or an eighth of an ounce, which equals about 3.5 grams. Union County Prosecutor David Phillips said Saultz’s “fist-size ball is a significant amount.”
“When you have a significant amount of drugs like that, it is more than what you would see for personal use,” Phillips said.
He added, “It’s enough for a number of people to get high.”
The prosecutor said personal use does not require a set of scales.
“We can make inferences about what he was doing with that,” Phillips said.
If convicted on both counts, Saultz could face a mandatory 20-year prison sentence and a fine of as much as $40,000.
Also indicted was:
– Benjamen Cook, 40, of 851 W. Fifth St., Marysville. Cook is charged with one count of aggravated possession of drugs, stemming from a June 29 incident. According to court documents, the time of his arrest, Cook was in possession of liquid morphine as well as another opium pain reliever, 6-MAM.
Phillips said that both drugs are “powerful pain relievers” often used in “end-of life care as well as in a significant pain situation.”
He said that heroin metabolizes as morphine and 6-MAM. He explained that addicts “would obviously look to morphine as well.”
If convicted, Cook could face as many as 12 months in prison.
– Stacy Bernard Johnson, 24, of Columbus. According to court documents, about 12:22 a.m., Aug. 11, Johnson was stopped for an alleged traffic violation. During the stop, the officer had reason to search the vehicle. According to court documents, investigators found “numerous individual baggies” of marijuana in the center console of the woman’s car. While the case was initially filed as a minor misdemeanor, because of the amount, it was amended to a felony charge. If convicted, Johnson could face as many as 12 months in prison.