Chillicothe — The Ross County Grand Jury returned all 16 of their cases Friday, April 26th, 2024, with nine open for release to the public. From testimony in the the grand jury in three of the cases, according to the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office:
A Portsmouth trio now have drug charges added to their theft and weapons charges from a visit to Chillicothe’s Ulta Beauty Store.
On February 8th, Chillicothe Police responded to 1251 North Bridge Street in Guernsey Crossing Mall in reference to a theft complaint, where an employee stated that a white and a black woman concealed more than $1,000 worth of items and walked past all points of sale, and got into a car with heavy front-end damage, and left.
The easily identifiable car was soon found in Ross County and pulled over, with a man driving it and the women inside with the stolen merchandise.
They are 31-year-old Taniya M. Froe of 1717 Offnere Street, Portsmouth; and 35-year-old Kayla R. Hayslip and 46-year-old Michael E. Locher of 1317 Main Street, Portsmouth.
Lab tests have now confirmed two balls of drugs found in their trunk: 17.14 grams of meth, and 5.39 grams of fentanyl.
In the trunk was also a gun; since all three have prior drug and felony convictions, they are under disability to have weapons.
For fifth degree felony theft, Froe and Hayslip could get up to a year and $2,500 in fines. For fifth degree felony complicity to theft, 46-year-old Locher could get up to a year and $2,500 in fines.
For third degree felony having weapons under disability, all three could get up to three years and $10,000 in fines.
The added drug charges are second-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, for which all three could get up to eight years and $15,000 in fines; and third-degree felony aggravated possession of a fentanyl-related compound, for which all three could get up to three years and $10,000 in fines.
