While the last six weeks might have been time off for most Ohio University professors and students, the Athens Police had plenty of crime to keep them busy.
The city has seen an armed robbery, a drug arrest, an influx of counterfeit money and plenty of home break-ins since OU students left Athens in November.
In the most violent of winter break-crime, three men were charged after allegedly robbing two other men at gunpoint Dec. 6 at about 8 p.m. in the Walmart parking lot, 929 E. State St., according to an Athens Police report.
Both John J. Wallace, 26, of Hamilton, and Marco A. Delgado, 24, of Gallipolis, were charged with aggravated robbery and kidnapping. A third man, 19-year-old Gabriel S.T. Hill, of Middleport, was charged with complicity to aggravated robbery and complicity to kidnapping, according to the report.
The two victims told police that they were in a car with two acquaintances when two men pulled guns and robbed them of their cash and cell phones. The robbers then exited the car and fled the area in a car driven by a third man.
The victims provided police with the license plate number of the get-away car, which was stopped 45 minutes later in Pomeroy, according to the report.
Officers at the scene in Meigs County located two handguns in the vehicle, as well as cash and narcotics, according to the report.
On Nov. 30, Athens police arrested Jason French, 36, after serving a search warrant at 3918 Fisher Road. The search recovered drug paraphernalia, several firearms and what officers believed to be drugs amounting to a felony of the first degree, according to a news release.
French was initially charged with felony possession of drugs, according to the release.
Athens law enforcement also reported that counterfeit bills were received by multiple area businesses.
On Monday, Dec. 13, Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly reported that a local bank and a gas station had received counterfeit $20 bills.
Athens police reported that counterfeit $100 bills were used at two gas stations and a fast food restaurant over the weekend of Dec. 19. The following week they reported another counterfeit $100 bill was used at Elder-Beerman on Dec. 22, according to an Athens police news release.
Athens Police Department is urging businesses to check any large bills carefully before accepting them.
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Wesley Lowery
