A 22-year-old Dayton man and a 23-year-old Portsmouth woman remain in jail Monday night, charged in a drug case being called possibly the largest seizure of crystal meth -- also known as Ice -- in Scioto County history.
James Rutledge III and Alyssa Hinson were taken into custody March 31 after state troopers stopped their vehicle on U.S. 23 South in Lucasville, Ohio.
Ohio State Highway Patrol canine Bruno alerted to the vehicle, which led members of the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force to the discovery of about two pounds of suspected crystal meth, 14 grams of suspected heroin and/or fentanyl and $3,396 in cash.
The estimated street value of the drugs seized is $56,000, Scioto County Sheriff Marty Donini and Portsmouth Police Chief Robert Ware said in a prepared statement released Monday.
After Hinson and Rutledge were taken in custody, officers executed a search warrant at her residence, in the 2600 block of Scioto Trail, and with the assistance of Portsmouth Police canine Dark, seized eight small plastic bags containing a powder not yet identified as well as digital scales and 13 Oxycodone pills.
Hinson and Rutledge were to be arraigned Monday on charges of felony trafficking and felony drug possession. Rutledge also was wanted on a probation violation involving a felony drug conviction in Butler County.
Both remain in the Scioto County Jail on Monday night.
The case is to be forwarded to the Scioto County Prosecutor's Office for presentation to a county grand jury, where additional drug charges will be considered, Sheriff Donini said.
