An Ohio man is facing charges of delivering drugs, which led to the death last year of a Franklin man, as well as other drug-related charges.
Franklin city police told the newspaper on Friday that the man was apprehended in Ohio.
On July 9 at about 11 p.m., police were dispatched to a residence on Center Street, where they found two men who were unresponsive, according to a criminal compliant filed by police.
A second man was revived with the administration of Narcan, the complaint said.
A witness at the scene told police that “Slim,” identified as Edwyn Lacey, 33, of Austintown Ohio, had delivered crack cocaine with fentanyl to him and Ziegler after a text conversation setting up the drug deal, the complaint said.
Police obtained a search warrant for the cellphones and found text messages on one cellphone from July 9, which asked to buy crack cocaine from Lacey, the complaint said.
The witness said after the text conversation, Lacey arrived at the residence on Center Street in a rental pickup truck, entered the house, put the crack cocaine on the table, took the money from the table and left, the complaint said.
Video footage shows Lacey arriving at the house and entering it as the witness described, the complaint said.
The witness said when he used the cocaine, it didn’t taste right; so he warned Ziegler to not use it, but it was too late, the complaint said.
The witness said no other people were in the house besides him, Ziegler and a woman, and no one entered besides Lacey, the complaint said.
In another case, between February and April 2019, Franklin city police and Attorney General Drug Task Force agents used a confidential informant to make two controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Lacey, according to a criminal complaint filed by police.
The agency arrested Lacey in the Youngstown area on a warrant out of Venango County and placed him in the Mahoning County jail, police said. On Friday, Lacey was transported from Ohio to Franklin.
Lacey has been charged with felony counts of drug delivery, resulting in death and manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and a misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter.
In the other case, Lacey has been charged with two felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility and two felony counts of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and two misdemeanor counts of possession of controlled substances and two misdemeanor counts of use/possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was arraigned in both cases on Friday before District Judge Matthew Kirtland and placed in Venango County jail, with bail denied due to him being a flight risk and not complying with bail conditions.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 9 at 1:30 p.m. before Kirtland.
