On Sunday, March 12, Derrick Lake, 27, of Springfield, was taken into custody after a gas station manager alerted police that Lake had been stopped at a gas pump for an hour and appeared to be passed out, according to court records. He was charged Tuesday with trafficking in drugs, possession of drugs, drug paraphernalia and OVI.
Deputy Bryan Beller said in an affidavit he arrived at the corner of Limestone Street and Leffel Lane around 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
In the report, Deputy Bryan Beller said, “He (Lake) was slumped over in the driver seat with the car running and his foot on the gas. I opened the door and he did not wake up but he pressed the gas harder causing the car’s engine to speed up.”
Beller placed Lake in his cruiser, and then searched Lake’s vehicle and allegedly found 60 grams of marijuana.
>>MORE: Springfield man found passed out in running car with 60 grams of pot
Springfield troopers find 1 pound of crystal meth in traffic stop
On Dec, 6, 2016, Humberto Arteaga-Aceves was stopped on Interstate 70 in Clark County by state troopers at the request of Springfield police as part of an ongoing drug investigation, according to municipal court records.
A K9 unit indicated the presence of drugs, police said, and a search found 1 pound of crystal meth in a yellow box. That lead to a search warrant for a home in the 1200 block of West Clark Street, according to court records, where detectives alleged they found 45 grams of heroin.
Clark County bust finds $400K in drugs; suspects held on $1M bond
Deputies seized $400,000 worth of drugs and almost $300,000 in cash WHEN in one of Clark County’s biggest raids as part of a months-long investigation with law enforcement from across the region.
The drugs included multiple kilos of methamphetamine and cocaine and 25 pounds of marijuana, Clark said. Multiple firearms were also seized. Deputies from Clinton, Highland, Ross and Fayette counties all assisted in the investigation, Clark said.
Four people have been charged in connection.
>>FULL STORY: Clark County bust finds $400K in drugs
Clark County motel site of drug bust, frequent investigations
Douglas Haulman, 61, manager at the Drake Motel, was accused of selling drugs at the business on Jan. 12.
A confidential informant for the Clark County Drug Task Force reportedly purchased pills from Haulman twice in December, according to court records. The same informant allegedly purchased pills from Haulman again in January, the report says.
The sheriff’s report said another employee at the motel has allegedly seen Haulman sell drugs before but didn’t say anything for fear of being fired.
The Springfield News-Sun previously reported that deputies responded to more than 100 calls at the motel in 2016. That included calls about prostitution, overdoses and more.
In October, a 6-week-old baby was found dead at the motel.
Springfield’s largest black tar heroin bust
Harry Dixon, Brian Lewis and Debra Mitchell were accused of trafficking black tar heroin. The bust, which occurred on June 8, 2016, was one of the largest black tar heroin busts in southwest Ohio. Dixon, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, while the two others are awaiting trial.
The trio have been accused of being part of a network that brought large amounts of heroin and other drugs like marijuana into Springfield, Moody said. The chief has described Lewis as a “major player” in drug crimes in Springfield.
Springfield detectives had been building a case against Lewis since 2014, Moody has said.
During a June 8 traffic stop and a search of Dixon’s home on Tibbetts Avenue, police alleged they discovered nearly one kilo of black tar heroin — the most of that kind of drug law enforcement in Springfield has found, Moody said.
They also confiscated 800 grams of heroin and about 5.4 pounds of marijuana.
>>FULL STORY: Springfield ‘mule’ in largest black tar heroin bust imprisoned
When police searched Dixon’s Tibbetts Avenue home after his arrest, they alleged they also found more drugs, apparent equipment to sell drugs and firearms, according to court records. One of the guns was found to be a weapon stolen from a Vandalia gun store in November during a rash of gun-shop break-ins last year, prosecutors said.
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