Local law enforcement arrest 13 drug suspects

Thirteen drug suspects were rounded up Monday as the Grand Lake Drug Task Force executed warrants in Mercer, Auglaize and Shelby counties as well as several Indiana counties.

The roundup began with a 5:30 a.m. briefing before eight teams of two officers each hit the streets. The first suspect was brought to the Mercer County Jail within an hour.

Six individuals remain at large, but Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey told The Daily Standard it is only a matter of time before they, too, wind up behind bars.

"If they didn't get picked up Monday, they should be looking over their shoulder," he added. "There are more arrests coming."

A Mercer County grand jury returned indictments against 20 people at its Nov. 14 sessions. The indictments contained a total of 60 drug-related counts involving offenses dating back to January.

The crackdown, which has been in the planning for sometime, came at a time when the local jail is literally bursting at the seams. Nine inmates already were being held in other counties at the time, and the jail population on Monday morning was grouped in cells to make room for the new arrivals.

Arrested Monday were:

• Corey A. Bensing, 20, 525 S. Walnut St., Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies. The offenses occurred three times in April.

• Kyle D. Blake, 21, 820 Hemlock St., Celina, five counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies taking place in March.

• Alberto Cervantes, 33, 12008 state Route 81, Rockford, two counts of trafficking in cocaine, both fifth-degree felonies taking place in January, and one count of trafficking in methamphetamine, a fourth-degree felony which also occurred in January.

• Aaron P. Chapman, 19, 6055 Meyer Road, Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies occurring in March, and one count of trafficking in methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a fourth-degree felony taking place in May.

• Jonathon R. Dulebohn, 27, 223 S. Ash St., Celina, one count of trafficking in a counterfeit controlled substance, a fifth-degree felony. Authorities seized his 2004 Pontiac Sunfire allegedly used in the February offense.

• Charles D. Hawkey, 19, 319 Leona St., Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies taking place in February and March, and one count of trafficking in marijuana in the vicinity of a juvenile, a fourth-degree felony reportedly occurring in April.

• Trey Huber, 23, 608 S. Wayne St., St. Marys, one count of trafficking in a counterfeit controlled substance, a fifth-degree felony occurring in April. The arrest was made in St. Marys.

• Anthony L. Petaway, 29, 819 South St., Celina, two counts of trafficking in crack cocaine in the vicinity of a juvenile, third-degree felonies allegedly occurring in August, and one count of trafficking in crack cocaine in the vicinity of a juvenile in an amount exceeding 5 grams, a second-degree felony also taking place in August.

• Elaine N. Trigo, 24, 9554 U.S. 127, Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies taking place in January and March, and one count of trafficking in marijuana in the vicinity of a juvenile, a fourth-degree felony allegedly committed in March.

• Tonya J. Harris, 20, of Portland, Ind., two counts of trafficking in marijuana within the vicinity of a school, both fourth-degree felonies taking place in January and February. She was picked up by Jay County Sheriff's deputies and is awaiting extradition to Ohio.

• James Tinsley, 52, of Fort Wayne, Ind., one count of trafficking in marijuana in an amount exceeding 200 grams, a fourth-degree felony occurring in January. He was picked up in Allen County, Ind., and is awaiting extradition to Ohio.

• William Curtis Pleasant, 22, of Sidney, one count of trafficking in Oxycodone in an amount exceeding five times the bulk amount in the vicinity of a juvenile, a first-degree felony that reportedly occurred in April, and three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies reportedly taking place in February and March. The arrest was made in Sidney by Task Force officers, Mercer County Sheriff's deputies and Sidney Police.

• Amber N. Yingst, 22, of Sidney, one count of trafficking in Oxycotin in an amount exceeding five times bulk in the vicinity of a juvenile, a first-degree felony. Her arrest in Sidney came as a result of the efforts of the three law enforcement agencies listed above.

The suspects are expected to make initial appearances later this week in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

Additionally, one suspect has been deported to his Mexican homeland in connection with an unrelated incident in Darke County. Indictments charge him with one count of trafficking in cocaine in an amount exceeding 10 grams, a third-degree felony, and one count of trafficking in cocaine in an amount exceeding 10 grams within the vicinity of a juvenile, a second-degree felony. Both offenses allegedly occurred in January here in Mercer County. The court paperwork will be served in the event he returns to the United States, according to Grey.

The Grand Lake Drug Task Force is a joint effort of the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office and all police departments in both counties. Also assisting with the investigation was the Allen County Sheriff's Office in Lima.