2 arrested in South Point drug bust

Published 5:57 pm Tuesday, August 6, 2019

A man who had just had just gotten off probation for trafficking in drugs was arrested again for selling drugs.

On Tuesday morning, the Lawrence Drug and Major Crimes Task Force and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at the home of Ronald Lee Patrick, at 287 Township Road 616 South Point, where officers had made controlled purchases of hydrocodone tablets. During the search, officers seized three firearms, hydrocodone tablets and $2,429 in cash.

Arrested were Ronald Lee Patrick, 53, and his girlfriend, Melissa A. Frederick, 51. They jailed at the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office on charges of trafficking in hydrocodone pills.

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In 2012, Ronald Patrick pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree felony aggravated trafficking in drugs and was sentenced to six years in prison. On July 29, 2015, he was granted judicial release and was put on four years of intensive supervision. His intensive supervision ended on July 29.

Frederick is currently on community control for a prior felony offense and will be charged with a probation violation.

On Friday, the pair will be arraigned in Lawrence County Municipal Court and their case will be presented to the grand jury later this month.

Anyone who would like to report drug activity can call the Drug Task Force hotline at 740-533-5830.