29 indicted on assault, weapons, drug charges: Charges include theft, stolen weapons, assault, drugs

Published 7:57 am Friday, February 28, 2020

The February Lawrence County grand jury returned a number of indictments for a stolen weapon, stolen cars, stealing money from a disabled person, a pair of stabbings and multiple cases of drug possession.

• A 35-year-old Youngstown man, Jason Daniel Crank, was indicted on a single charge of felony assault. According to the indictment, on Dec. 19, 2019, he knowingly caused or attempted to cause serious physical harm to a man with a deadly weapon or ordinance, specifically a knife. Crank was indicted on one count of second-degree felony assault.

• In a separate case, a 42-year-old Ashland, Kentucky man was also indicted for using a knife to stab someone. Marc A. Wilkes was indicted for a Feb. 1 indictment when he knowingly caused or attempted to cause serious physical harm to a man with a deadly weapon or ordinance, specifically a knife. Wilkes was indicted on one count of second-degree felony assault.

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• Brendan T. Moore, 18, of Ironton, was indicted on second-degree felony assault for causing serious physical harm to someone on May 2, 2019 and indicted on second-degree felony endangering children for creating a substantial risk to the health or safety of the child by violating a duty of care, protection or support on May 2, 2019. The indictment does not indicate the number of victims in the case or if the two charges are related.

• Two Virginia men were indicted for having a stolen gun in their possession and trying to conceal that it was stolen.

Robert B. Stokes, 35, and Darin M. Preston, 29, both of Stauton, Virginia, were indicted for third-degree felony receiving stolen property for having a 9mm Glock handgun that they had reasonable cause to believe was stolen. They were also charged with third-degree felony tampering with evidence in the case.

• Seth Jeffers, 23, of Gallipolis, was indicted for fourth-degree felony theft for taking a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe without permission from Riverside Recovery on or about Jan. 6.

• Travis Eplion, 23, of Huntington, West Virginia, was indicted for fourth-degree felony theft for taking a 2020 Hyundai Elentra on or about Jan. 6.

• Brandon Scott McClaskey, 19, of Ironton, was indicted for fifth-degree felony breaking and entering for trespassing in an unoccupied building to commit theft, indicted for fifth-degree felony possession of heroin and indicted for fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs.

• John R. Barnhart Jr., 58, of Willow Wood, was indicted on one count of fourth-degree felony theft from a person in a protected class. The indictment alleges that he, on or about Aug. 18, 2019, did try to deprive an 83-year-old disabled woman of $4,700.

• Scott Allen Zornes, 57, of Kitts Hill, was indicted on one count of third-degree felony driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The count had one specification that Zornes, in the previous 20 years, had previously been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, five or more equivalent offenses.

• Stephen Lynch, 47, of Chesapeake, was indicted on one count of illegal conveyance of prohibited items onto the grounds of detention facility, a third-degree felony.

• Brandon S. Cron, 26, of Ironton, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony identity fraud, one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and one count of fifth-degree felony tampering with evidence.

• Jonathan Jarvis, 29, of Ashland, Kentucky, was indicted on one count of third-degree felony tampering with evidence and on one count of fifth-degree felony vandalism for causing serious damage to a government owned GPS monitor.

• Tracy Dement, 48, of Chesapeake was indicted on one count of first-degree misdemeanor driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and one count of third-degree felony tampering with evidence.

• Charles G. Thacker II, 40, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, one count of third-degree aggravated possession of drugs for having 12 grams of methamphetamine, one count of third-degree felony illegal manufacturing of drugs and one count of fourth-degree felony improperly handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.

• Christopher P. Smith, 36, no address, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for having 4.7 grams of methamphetamine.

• Lea Porter, 38, of Ashland, Kentucky, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for having methamphetamine and one count of fifth-degree felony possession of a controlled substance for having one buprenorphine strip.

• Clarence Botkins, 47, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony possession of a controlled substance for having one and half buprenorphine strips and one count of third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for having four grams of methamphetamine.

• Nathaniel Blankenship, 39, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, was indicted on one count of second-degree felony possession of heroin and one count of second-degree felony trafficking in heroin for having 14.5 grams of heroin, one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for having methamphetamine and one count of second-degree misdemeanor possession of drug abuse instruments.

• Melissa K. Lyons, 45, Coal Grove, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony possession of heroin.

• Ashley E. McCann, 37, of Huntington, West Virginia, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony possession of heroin.

• Bobbie Jo Adams, 41, of Flatwoods, Kentucky, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony possession of heroin.

• James M. Simpkins, 51, of Ashland, Kentucky, was indicted on one count of third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having 7.02 grams of methamphetamine.

• Wayland. G. Riffe, 46, of Ironton, was indicted on one count of third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having 7.02 grams of methamphetamine.

• Thomas V. Thompson, 41, of Ironton, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having methamphetamine.

• Jimmy J. Lambert, 32, of Pedro, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having methamphetamine.

• Cody J. M. Cantrell, 26, of Franklin Furnace, was indicted on one count of third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having 8.26 grams of methamphetamine and one count of second-degree misdemeanor resisting arrest.

• Ryan Allen Bowman, 21, of Ironton, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony breaking and entering and one count of fourth-degree misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Austin M. Sharp, 23, of Ironton, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having heroin and one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having methamphetamine.

• Derek A. McCord, 31, of Junction City, was indicted on one count of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for having methamphetamine.