3 men accused of using drones to drop drugs at Ohio prisons face 116 criminal counts

Laura A. Bischoff, The Columbus Dispatch
·1 min read
23
Three Ohio men are facing 116 felony counts for allegedly using drones to drop cell phones, illegal drugs and other contraband onto the grounds of five state prisons. The investigation began in May 2021 when a drone was intercepted at Toledo Correctional Institution.
Three Ohio men are facing 116 felony counts for allegedly using drones to drop cell phones, illegal drugs and other contraband onto the grounds of five state prisons. The investigation began in May 2021 when a drone was intercepted at Toledo Correctional Institution.

Three men are facing 116 criminal counts for allegedly using drones to drop cell phones, drugs and other contraband into five state prisons, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said Wednesday.

The investigation began May 28, 2021 when a drone was intercepted at Toledo Correctional Institution.

Charged in Franklin County Common Pleas Court are Robert A. Faulkner, 33, of Columbus, Cory A. Sutphin, 28, of Grove City, and Charles Gibbs, 33, of Sandusky. They're accused of using drones to make drops at Toledo, Mansfield, Richland, and Ross correctional institutions, and the North Central Correctional Complex.

The indictment included charges of possession and dealing of cocaine and fentanyl, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, and possession of criminal tools.

A search of Faulkner’s Columbus residence on Nov. 16, 2021 uncovered $319,820 worth of illegal drugs, weapons, cell phones and contraband, the patrol said. Investigators believe the contraband was going to be smuggled into other prisons across the state.

Drones have been used for several years to get drugs and other contraband into state prisons.

"The biggest takeaway is we're trying to prevent future situations like this," said patrol spokesman Lt. Nate Dennis.

Within Ohio prisons there were 14 overdose deaths between 2018 and 2022. From 2020 to mid-2022, 762 doses of Narcan were administered inside state prisons to try to reverse opioid overdoses, according to Ohio DRC records.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Three Ohio men face 116 counts in prison drone case.