Vinton County deputies arrest five in week of drug, warrant cases

Deputies spent the first week of May moving from a Swan Township Airbnb dispute to a roadside drug stop, a domestic call in Harrison Township and multiple warrant pickups, showing a wide mix of enforcement across Vinton County.

On Old Shurtz Road in Swan Township, Gabriel Jones, 36, of New Plymouth, was arrested after a dispute involving an Airbnb owner and guests. He was booked on abduction, obstructing official business and resisting arrest, then taken to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail before later being released on bond.

Later that same day, deputies went to U.S. Highway 50 in Elk Township after finding a person slumped over in a vehicle parked at a local business. Inside the vehicle, they reported suspected crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia and a large amount of cash. Brian Grabans, 54, of Dayton, was arrested and also taken to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail before later release on bond.

The pace continued on May 2 on Clipner Road in Harrison Township, where deputies responded to a domestic dispute and arrested Carl Baxter, 52, of Chillicothe, on a domestic violence charge. The next day brought two more warrant arrests. Charles Collins, 49, of Columbus, was taken into custody on outstanding felony warrants for burglary and trespass in a habitation, and Keaton Camp Doles, 25, of Hamden, was arrested on a misdemeanor assault warrant.

A burglary in progress on Vinton Station Road in Clinton Township led to the arrests of Elizabeth Cook, 36, of Dundas, and Randall Fee Jr., 34, of Dundas, both found near the scene with stolen property. By May 6, Michelle Phillips, 48, of Ray, was picked up on multiple felony warrants, and Bradley Day, 34, of Circleville, was arrested after a reported domestic violence incident and parole violation.

The week’s arrests land against a harsher statewide backdrop. Ohio recorded 4,452 unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2023, and illicit fentanyl or fentanyl analogs were involved in 78% of those deaths. Since April 2023, Project DAWN programs have also been able to distribute fentanyl test strips along with naloxone.

In McArthur, where the sheriff’s office operates at 106 South Market Street, the pattern reflects the pressure rural agencies face when drug cases, warrant service and domestic calls all land on the same deputies. The arrests moved quickly into the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville, underscoring how often Vinton County’s enforcement work is tied to a regional system that handles cases from several counties.