CHILLICOTHE ― Two Columbus men were indicted by a Ross County Grand Jury this month, said Jenna Hornyak, an investigator for the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office.
Kejuan Skinner-Byrd, 28 of Columbus, was charged with aggravated possession of drugs and tampering with evidence, both third-degree felonies.
On July 19, a trooper stopped a vehicle on US 35 for following too close. The trooper made contact with the defendant, who was the driver. The trooper could smell marijuana in the car. The defendant complied with a pat down, Hornyak said.
The trooper felt something in the defendant’s pocket. While the trooper took out a pair of handcuffs, the defendant took off running and threw something while being chased. The trooper later found a crystal-like substance. The meth weighed 13.726 grams, according to Hornyak.
Skinner-Byrd faces up to 36 months in jail and $10,000 in fines.
Noah Wyke, 27 of Columbus, was charged with two counts of having weapons under disability, both third-degree felonies, and one count of assault, a first-degree felony.
A Chillicothe Municipal Court deputy was advising probationers who were cleaning up trash when a white car came to a sudden stop with both the defendant and the victim in the vehicle.
The victim said the defendant pointed a gun at her and then hit her on the chin with the butt of the gun. The officer secured the defendant and then secured a gun from the car, which was loaded and had a bullet in the chamber.
The defendant has a pending indictment for drug offenses from Ross County in April for possession of a fentanyl-related compound, Hornyak said. Wyke faces up to 42 months in jail and $11,000 in fines.
One Chillicothe man was also indicted by a Ross County Grand Jury on Friday. Brian Hall, 25, was charged with one count of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony.
On Sept. 8, deputies were dispatched to Piney Creek Road in reference to a self-inflicted stab wound. The deputy spoke with the victim who stated her live-in boyfriend, who is the defendant, pushed the victim, then fled the residence to get alcohol.
The deputy saw the defendant’s vehicle and attempted to pull him over. The defendant did not stop, Hornyak said. The deputy pursued the defendant, who eventually crashed into a ditch when he failed to navigate a turn.
Hall faces up to 36 months in jail and $10,000 in fines.
Seventeen cases were presented to the grand jury on Friday and all were returned true bill.
Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Two Columbus men indicted by Ross County Grand Jury