A Marion man and a Columbus man were arrested on felony charges of burglary, breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools, possession of methamphetamine and tampering with evidence related to an early Thursday morning incident at a Zanesfield property.
Cory A. Jewell, 26, of Columbus, and Joshua L. Trace, 42, of Marion, each were placed under arrest and lodged in the Logan County Jail, deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office report.
A third suspect, a 38-year-old Columbus woman, also was at the property and remains under investigation following her claims that the two men forced her to show them the property that was owned by her family member.
Deputies were dispatched about 2:55 a.m. to 8742 County Road 2, Zanesfield, on a report from a neighbor regarding observing suspicious activity, including individuals with flashlights walking up to the property.
When deputies arrived, they observed the woman standing outside of the manufactured home and garage, holding a cellular phone with its flashlight illuminated. She told deputies that two men were inside the garage area.
Deputies located Jewell and Trace and observed that they each were holding flashlights and one of them also was wearing a headlamp.
The woman told deputies that the property belonged to her uncle, Ronald Bragg, who became the executor of the estate upon her aunt’s death in the spring. She told deputies that they had stopped to check on the property because they were notified that one of the doors to the garage might have been left unlocked.
Deputies contacted Bragg by phone and during their conversation, deputies learned that the female suspect had provided them with a false name of another member of her family. Bragg said the woman and the two men did not have permission to be on the property.
While deputies were on the phone, they observed the two men acting suspiciously, not standing where they were instructed, and deputies later discovered that the pair had tried to discard several baggies of a crystal-like substance, along with pills identified as gabapentin, a glass pipe and suboxone.
After placing the individuals under arrest, deputies checked the property and found forced entry to the manufactured home and the overhead garage door. In the suspects’ vehicle, deputies also located bolt cutters and numerous power tools, along with additional bags of powder and crystal-like substance.
Deputies continue their investigation into the woman’s allegations that the men used a weapon to force her to the property.