What started as a routine traffic stop, stopped more than three pounds of marijuana from coming into Marysville and ended in an indictment for a Columbus man.
The Union County Grand Jury has indicted Colin Douglas Thierjung, 21, of 1481 Bradshire Dr., Columbus. Thierjung is charged with one count each of possession of marijuana and trafficking in marijuana.
According to court documents, On Feb. 12, Thierjung was headed to Marysville when an Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSP) trooper stopped him for allegedly having a headlight that didn’t work.
Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips said that when the trooper approached the vehicle, “he detected the smell of raw marijuana.”
Phillips said burnt marijuana has a very distinct smell that many people know. He said raw marijuana also has an odor, but “it smells distinctly different from burnt marijuana.”
The prosecutor said that because a car can simply drive away, law enforcement officials can search a car on probable cause without a warrant.
“The odor of marijuana gave the officer probable cause,” Phillips said.
During a search of the vehicle, the trooper, assisted by a Union County Sheriff’s deputy, found multiple bags of marijuana. Phillips said that after the bags were dried and separated, the marijuana weighed more than 1400 grams, more than three pounds.
“That is not a little bit of marijuana,” Phillips said. “That is a significant amount.”
He said the car also had a variety of drug paraphernalia as well as items used for trafficking.
“When you get a large amount like this, it’s indicative of a trafficker,” Phillips said.
Additionally, the man admitted to investigators “that he was on his way to a friend’s house in Marysville.”
Phillips said drugs coming through the county are one thing, “but drugs coming into our county are another.”
He said that while possession of personal use marijuana is a minor misdemeanor, trafficking in this volume is a felony.
“I know some people don’t agree with that, but it is the law of the state of Ohio,” Phillips said.
If convicted on both charges, Thierjung could face as many as 10 years in prison.
The prosecutor said he and other members of the Multi-Agency Drug Enforcement Task Force (MADE) are looking to include the highway patrol in operations.
“OSP is very active in terms of traffic stops but also in drug interdiction,” Phillips said. “We think by adding them, we can improve the interdiction.”
Also indicted was:
– Mary Katrina Endicott, 31, 17681 Kandel Road, Marysville. Endicott is charged with one count of possession of heroin. Endicott was pulled over by an OSP trooper about 2:09 p.m., April 19, for a headlight violation. Investigators found less than a gram of heroin in the car. If convicted, Endicott could face as many as 12 months in prison.
– Mari Hana Bouziane, 24, of 309 Kensington Dr., Delaware. Bouziane is charged with one count of trafficking in drugs related to a Nov. 18 incident when she was arrested with Fentanyl. If convicted, Bouziane could face as many as 12 months in prison.
– Scott Joseph Herdman, 27, of 9204 Railroad St., Plain City. Herdman is charged with one count each of possession of drugs and possession of heroin. According to court documents, Herdman was arrested with Buprenorphine and heroin. Buprenorphine is a drug used to treat heroin addiction, but because it is an opioid, can carried by addicts and used as a short-term substitute for heroin.
Herdman was also carrying $994 in cash. Prosecutors are asking to seize that money, claiming it was used in or gotten through a crime.
Charges against Herdman have been enhanced because in 2011 he was convicted of attempted possession of drugs in Franklin County.
If convicted on both charges, Herdman could face as many as 24 months in prison.