A Franklin woman is facing felony drug charges after undercover state police officers said they caught her trying to sell marijuana last month.
A press release issued by trooper Troy Owen with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Northwest Strike Force Unit said a man told Franklin state police he was receiving text messages from an unknown person and, based on the content in the messages, it was apparent the person was trying to sell him drugs, but the messages were being sent to a wrong phone number.
Law enforcement then exchanged texts with the unknown person using the man’s cellphone and a drug transaction was arranged, police said.
Troopers arrived in the area of the meeting place – Parker Avenue in Sugarcreek Borough – on Sept. 9 around 2:45 p.m., police said.
After additional text message conversations, 26-year-old Sara Stone approached the undercover state police vehicle with a plastic bag of marijuana in her hand, intending to sell it, police said.
Troopers left the vehicle and took Stone into custody.
A cellphone and the marijuana were seized, police said.
A search was later conducted at Stone’s home on Egbert Street and police recovered three additional bags of marijuana, digital scales, a loaded sawed-off shotgun and other drug paraphernalia.
Charges were filed against Stone Tuesday through district judge Patrick Lowrey’s office.
She has been charged with two felony counts each of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and criminal use of a communications facility, two misdemeanor counts of intentional possession of a controlled substance by a person not registered, and one misdemeanor count of use/possession of drug paraphernalia and possessing a prohibited offensive weapon.
The investigation is continuing, and charges are pending against a known Franklin man, police said.
