Local man arrested on drug-related charges after traffic stop

Christopher Keaton

A local man was arrested on multiple drug-related charges after members of the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and Intelligence-Led Policing unit conducted surveillance on a residence followed by a traffic stop.

On Wednesday, investigators stopped a vehicle that was leaving a residence in Heritage Heights, and noticed a strong odor of raw marijuana coming from the vehicle.

The driver, Christopher Keaton, 28, Columbus, told police he had about a quarter pound of marijuana in the vehicle, police said.

Officers located a large amount of marijuana and obtained a search warrant to serve at 2707 Tyler Drive in Columbus.

From that residence, officers confiscated approximately 953 grams of marijuana, paraphernalia, a money counter, marijuana and mushroom edibles, Schedule IV pills, a stolen handgun and more than $5,000.

Keaton was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of two counts of dealing marijuana, two counts of possession of marijuana, possession of a stolen handgun, possession of a Schedule IV substance, possession of a controlled substance, a Bartholomew County warrant and possession of paraphernalia.

Jail records indicated Keaton has since been released from jail, according to jail officials. His bond was set at $35,000, according to jail records

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office is proactively targeting the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County.

For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.