Wednesday evening, officers from the Bellefontaine Police Department (BPD) Criminal Patrol Unit and K9 Unit made a significant arrest after stopping a silver Chevy Traverse in the 700 block of North Main Street.
The two occupants of the vehicle, identified as Andrew Hughes, 40, of Bellefontaine, and Brittany Hartline, 35, of Russells Point, were wanted by the Adult Parole Authority due to outstanding arrest warrants connected to a lengthy drug trafficking investigation.
The investigation, led by the BPD Criminal Patrol Unit, uncovered that the pair had been making regular trips to source cities to acquire large quantities of narcotics, which they then transported back to Logan County for distribution.
As officers approached the vehicle, they observed both occupants making suspicious movements.
They ordered the driver, Hartline, to show her hands and removed her from the vehicle.
However, when officers attempted to remove Hughes from the passenger side, he quickly fled on foot, jumping across the center console and running eastbound from the vehicle.
A brief foot chase ensued, and officers were able to catch up with Hughes, tackling him to the ground.
During the altercation, one officer sustained a leg injury and was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital.
The officer’s condition was later reported as stable.
Following the arrest, K9 Pyro was deployed to conduct a narcotics sniff on the vehicle.
The K9 alerted to the presence of drugs, and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 21 grams of cocaine, 95 grams of methamphetamine, and 23 units of LSD, as well as drug paraphernalia consistent with trafficking and sales.
Officers from the Adult Parole Authority then searched Hughes’s residence, where they discovered a bookbag containing 29 grams of psilocybin mushrooms.
Both Hughes and Hartline were arrested and booked into the Logan County Jail.
Hughes faces charges of:
- Parole Violation
- Trafficking in Methamphetamine (F2)
- Possession of Methamphetamine (F2)
- Tampering with Evidence (F3)
- Trafficking in Cocaine (F2)
- Possession of Cocaine (F2)
- Possession of Schedule I Drug (F1)
- Trafficking Schedule I Drug (F1)
- Trafficking Schedule I Drug (F4)
- Possession of Schedule I Drug (F4)
- Obstructing Official Business (F5)
- Resisting Arrest (M1)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M4)
Hartline faces charges of:
- Parole Violation
- Trafficking in Methamphetamine (F2)
- Possession of Methamphetamine (F2)
- Tampering with Evidence (F3)
- Trafficking in Cocaine (F2)
- Possession of Cocaine (F2)
- Trafficking Schedule I Drug (F1)
- Possession of Schedule I Drug (F1)
- Trafficking Schedule I Drug (F4)
- Possession of Schedule I Drug (F4)
Additional charges are pending as the investigation continues.
The Logan County Sheriff’s Office and the Adult Parole Authority assisted in the investigation.
