MERCER COUNTY, Ohio (WOWO) – The Heroin Interdiction Team (H.I.T.) and the Mercer-Auglaize County Drug Task Force have arrested two people within 24 hours.
Around 1 p.m. Tuesday, Thomas Dean Phillips, 48 of Spencerville, Ohio, was stopped for a traffic violation. During the stop, a K9 alerted police to the vehicle, where Phillips was found in possession of approximately two grams of Methamphetamines.
Phillips was arrested for possession of drugs, and is being held at the Mercer County Adult Detention Facility on a $100,000 bond.
On the same day, Stephen E. Lawson, 26 of Celina, Ohio, was arrested after police conducted a controlled purchase of narcotics from him. He was found in possession of 38 bindles of heroin.
Lawson was arrested for trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs, and is being held in the Mercer County Adult Detention Facility on a $100,000 bond.
Police seized a 2004 Ford F150 truck and $1,278 in cash. Lawson’s arrest also led to an investigation of a local hotel, where police located suspected heroin, marijuana and cash, along with assorted drug paraphernalia.
Additional charges may follow.
