23 people behind bars in Ohio after joint warrant operation

PORTSMOUTH, OHIO (WOWK) — A two-day warrant operation in Scioto County resulted in nearly two dozen people behind bars.

This warrant operation was a coalition of eight different federal, state, and local agencies—Scioto County Adult Probation, Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, Portsmouth Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, U.S. Marshals Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, Southern Ohio Drug Task Force, and Portsmouth Fire Departments Tactical Medics.

Additionally, S.W.A.T. Teams from the Portsmouth Police Department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were on stand-by if they were needed.

The operation began on Thursday at 7 a.m. and concluded on Friday with the arrest of 23 people with active criminal warrants in the county.

Those arrested were men and women, ranging in age from 18-65. Warrants ranged from probation violations to narcotics charges according to the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff David Thoroughman of Scioto County says this operation had been weeks in the making and is one of the largest arrest operations they’ve undertaken this year.

“The goal of this operation of course was to get those individuals off the streets that we have warrants on and secondary was furthering criminal investigations as well was the drug investigations and getting drugs off our streets…Agents and officers and deputies, when they entered in, if they observed any other criminal activity then we would bring in our investigators as well as drug task force to conduct any further investigations,” Thoroughman says.

Folks in the community say when it comes to decreasing criminal activity in the area, every little bit helps.

“Glad to see it happen. Drugs are a major issue in our area; there’s lots of rehab centers but there’s still people out here using drugs,” says Doug Besco, local business owner of Remember When… Antiques.

“It is just a drop in the bucket, but you fill the bucket one drop at a time. So to empty it you have to do it the same way. Anything that happens that alleviates the problem is going to help us all and we should all be at least grateful for that,” says Sharon Bender, local business owner of Ghosts in the Attic Antique Mall.

“If they’re out receiving stolen property or spreading the poison upon the streets we do all that we can to stop that,” Thoroughman says.

Now, all of those people arrested are awaiting arraignment at the jail at the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office.

Any other cases that resulted from these investigations are being forwarded to the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office.