Traffic stop yields suspected fentanyl | News, Sports, Jobs

Belmont County Sheriff David Lucas said that at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, Deputy Jason Schwarck of the Criminal Interdiction Unit made a traffic stop in Bridgeport after reportedly seeing a traffic violation near Buckeye Street.

“The vehicle went completely left of center. Their reason was to miss a pothole,” Lucas said, adding that the vehicle was being driven by Sandra Hayes, 42, of Jacobsburg, with Donald Marquis Bell, 28, of Cleveland, as a passenger.

Schwarck utilized Copper, his K-9 partner, to check the vehicle. A suspected mixture of heroin and fentanyl was discovered during the traffic stop.

Lucas said this led to further investigation pointing to a residence in Bridgeport. Lucas said Bell was a known resident of that address, and a further search of the home yielded more narcotics.

In total, deputies seized nearly an ounce of cocaine, more than 3 grams of heroin/fentanyl and more than an ounce of marijuana, Lucas said, noting the street value of the drugs is nearly $4,000. In addition, $300 in cash was also seized.

Hayes was booked into the Belmont County Jail on a charge of possession of cocaine.

Bell is in the jail facing charges of possession of cocaine, possession of heroin, possession of marijuana, trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in heroin and trafficking in marijuana. Lucas added that Bell had been on probation from a felony drug trafficking case dating to 2015.

Both are expected to appear in Belmont County Northern Division Court.

Lucas did not release the exact address of the residence that was searched in connection with the case.

“No one was arrested there,” he said.

The sheriff commended his deputies for their work in the continuing fight to stem the drug tide.

“They’re out there. They’re looking for the crime. This is just another classic case of a person from Cleveland doing drugs in our county. This is the second time around. We’re going to be looking hard at this case,” Lucas said. “My guys are out there every day, hitting the street, tracking these people down.”

Lucas said law enforcement will continue to patrol both the main roads and side routes.

“It’s been known that I-70 has been a pipeline, a corridor, but now we’re looking at our secondary routes, too,” Lucas said.