Athens police arrested the sheriff's stepson for drug trafficking Friday - concluding a several-month investigation into the local drug market.
Officers arrested Andrew N. Campbell, 28, of 11680 Channingway Blvd. in an East State Street parking lot after they scheduled a deal with Campbell, said Lt. Randy Gray of the Athens City Police Department. Gray said that he did not participate in the arrest.
Police took Campbell to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, according to a news release.
Campbell is the stepson of Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly, Gray said, adding that Kelly was not aware of the investigation. Kelly could not be reached for comment.
A special prosecutor will lead the case against Campbell and will seek an indictment when the next grand jury convenes in the coming weeks, Gray said.
Police had already investigated Campbell for selling drugs, and that investigation resulted in four other third-degree felony drug trafficking charges on top of Friday's fourth-degree felony charge. Campbell will appear in court today for arraignment on all five drug charges but will remain in jail until then, according to the news release.
Third-degree felonies carry a maximum of five years in prison, and fourth-degree felonies carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.
An Andrew Campbell, of The Plains, wrote to the editor of The Athens News in October 2008 supporting Kelly's campaign for sheriff. In the letter, Campbell wrote that Kelly was a man of strong family and moral values.
Since his election in 2008, eliminating drug trafficking in Athens has remained a major part of Kelly's agenda.
In October, sheriff's deputies led Operation Busted Balloon
a sweep of major heroin markets across the county. More than 80 officers from around the region participated in the bust, which ended in 14 arrests.
Campbell's arrest is part of a joint investigation between the Athens Police Department and The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation that began last January. His criminal record dates back to 2004 and includes convictions for misdemeanor criminal mischief, driving while intoxicated and other traffic violations, according to court records.
- Libby Cunningham contributed to this report 1
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