BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Detectives with the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Unit arrested a Powhatan Point man on Jan. 1 after discovering large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine during a drug investigation.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives assigned to the Ohio Attorney General’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission learned that Jonathan Hawthorne, 44, had an active arrest warrant and was staying at a local hotel. Detectives located Hawthorne and took him into custody on the outstanding warrant.
During the arrest, investigators found Hawthorne in possession of approximately 14 grams of fentanyl. Detectives continued the investigation and obtained a search warrant for a residence in Powhatan Point, where they believed additional drugs were hidden.
While executing the warrant, detectives seized approximately 69 grams of fentanyl and 14 grams of methamphetamine, authorities said.
Hawthorne was arrested and booked into the Belmont County Jail on charges related to possession and trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack praised the work of his staff and emphasized that drug activity will continue to be aggressively pursued, noting that there is never a good time to deal drugs in Belmont County.
