An Albany man pleaded guilty to two drug charges in the Athens County Common Pleas Court after possessing more than 10 grams of heroin and stealing TVs and DVD players from Wal-Mart.
Justin Hutchinson, 26, was charged with one count of theft, one count of trafficking and one count of possession of heroin.
According to a news release from Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn’s office, he was sentenced to six years in prison and is subject to a four year driver’s license suspension and must serve five years of post-release community control.
“A search warrant of (Hutchinson’s) home was executed and a fully loaded syringe, along with heroin residue on a spoon, was found,” Blackburn said in the release. “Hutchinson was also found to have stolen multiple TVs and DVD players from the Wal-Mart on East State Street.”
According to the release, the search warrant was issued prior to Hutchinson’s Jan. 16 arrest.
Court documents also state that Hutchinson was ordered to avoid contact with codefendant Melissa Schoon, 22, of Albany.
Schoon appeared in the Athens County Common Pleas Court on Mar. 17 and was sentenced to two years in prison for one count of trafficking in heroin and one count of possession of heroin, both felonies of the second degree. She is also subject to an 18-month driver’s license suspension.
Schoon was also arrested Jan. 16 after a home visit from the Adult Parole Authority, during which officials found “a large amount” of heroin inside the home, according to the release.
“The Athens County Sheriff’s Office was called out to assist,” Blackburn continued in the release. “Schoon did knowingly admit to selling heroin several times a week from the home.”
As of Monday, Schoon has been incarcerated in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. Hutchinson has been incarcerated in the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail since Jan. 16 on a $100,000 bond, according to the jail’s booking documents.
@KellyPFisher
kf398711@ohiou.edu
