Meth, handgun confiscated during traffic stop

0

Two men are facing a host of felony charges after Washington C.H. Police Department officers made a traffic stop on Grace Street Monday and confiscated methamphetamine, marijuana and a loaded handgun.

At around 5:30 p.m. Monday, the Washington Police Department was advised of a reportedly stolen 1990 Ford F-150. According to reports, an officer saw the vehicle initially on North North Street, and “it began to make a series of quick turns in an attempt to evade” police. Following an alleged stop sign violation on Rose Avenue, the vehicle was stopped by police on Grace Street near Eastern Avenue.

The man driving the vehicle, Parker G. Huffman, 26, of 228 W. Market St., was informed by police he was being charged with receiving stolen property. According to reports, Parker told police the vehicle was not stolen because a family member told him he could drive it. The family member reportedly told police that he did not give Huffman permission to use the truck and that Huffman lied to obtain the keys.

The passenger in the stolen vehicle, identified as Shawn R. Blankenship, 39, of Columbus, was removed from the vehicle and patted down for weapons. One officer heard the sound of metal on the pavement and observed Blankenship kicking a handgun underneath the officer’s patrol vehicle, reports said.

Blankenship was placed in handcuffs, and the handgun was recovered. The serial number had been filed off, police said, and a live round was found in the chamber with three additional rounds in the magazine. Blankenship has several felony drug charges within his computerized criminal history, police said, which prevented him from legally possessing a firearm.

Police found a red bank bag underneath the passenger side seat where Blankenship had been sitting, according to reports. A key to the bank bag was located inside Blankenship’s front left pocket. Inside the bag were allegedly 16 bags of methamphetamine, one baggie containing three smaller tied baggies of marijuana, three suboxone films, a set of scales, a pipe used to smoke marijuana, and one hypodermic needle.

The baggies of methamphetamine had an approximate weight of 20.46 grams, police said.

Blankenship was charged with having weapons under disability (third-degree felony), improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle (third-degree felony), tampering with evidence (third-degree felony), trafficking in meth (second-degree felony), trafficking in marijuana (fifth-degree felony), trafficking in Schedule III drugs (fifth-degree felony), and misdemeanor counts of possession of defaced firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of drug abuse instruments.

Huffman was charged with receiving stolen property (fourth-degree felony), complicity to trafficking in meth (second-degree felony), complicity to trafficking in marijuana (fifth-degree felony), and complicity to trafficking in Schedule III drugs (fifth-degree felony).

Blankenship is being held in the Fayette County Jail on a $98,250 bond and Huffman is being held on a $25,000 bond.

Huffman
http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2018/09/web1_MUGSHOTS_34649053.jpgHuffman

Blankenship
http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2018/09/web1_MUGSHOTS_34649105.jpgBlankenship

By Ryan Carter

[email protected]

Reach Ryan Carter at 740-313-0352 or on Twitter @rywica

No posts to display