Thirteen indictments were filed by a Knox County Grand Jury, on September 15. Arraignments are scheduled for September 25 in the Common Pleas Court before Judge Otho Eyster.

According to Knox County Prosecutor John Thatcher, Michael D. Ronk, 40, Mount Vernon, was indicted for illegal cultivation of marihuana and possession of marihuana. On August 31, Detective Sergeants Gary Rohler and other officers of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Ronk’s Sycamore Road residence where they allegedly found a sophisticated indoor marihuana growing operation. The officers seized approximately 90 plants and other equipment commonly used to grow marihuana. Officers from the Central Ohio Drug Task Force and Mount Vernon Police Department assisted with the investigation.

Buck R. Stevens, 32, Mount Vernon, faces charges of aggravated burglary and felonious assault for allegedly entering a residence on West Vine Street and fracturing the jaw of a male resident, on August 22. Thatcher said witness statements allege that Stevens ran inside the house and assaulted the man while he was asleep. Patrolman Jeremiah Armstrong, MVPD, responded to the scene and investigated the case.

Scott A. Greene, 44, Mount Vernon, is accused of domestic violence. Thatcher said at approximately 10:30 p.m. on August 15, Corporal Robert Morgan and other MVPD officers responded to a fight call on East Ohio Avenue. Corporal Morgan learned that Green and another man were fighting because Greene had allegedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend earlier in the evening. According to the indictment, Greene was convicted of domestic violence in 2006 making the current charge a felony.

Brian K. Rose, 37, also faces a domestic violence charge for allegedly striking his live-in girlfriend in the face and biting her on the finger. Thatcher said at about 2:30 a.m. on September 9, Sergeant Andy Burns was engaged in a traffic stop on Wooster Road when he heard a woman screaming nearby. Burns learned through investigation that Rose allegedly assaulted the woman and threatened her if she tried to contact the police. According to the indictment, Rose was convicted of domestic violence in 2006 and he is also accused intimidation.

Jeffrey N. Wilson, 34, Mount Vernon, was indicted on charges of rape and gross sexual imposition. Thatcher said the alleged victim is a child who was less than ten years old during the time of the alleged offenses, January 1, 2006 through July 4, 2009. Detective Tom Bumpus, KCSO, investigated the case with the assistance of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Child and Family Advocacy.

Cindy M. Clements, 22, Mount Vernon, was charged with four counts of possessing stolen checks and two counts of forgery. On August 14 Patrolman Jeremiah Armstrong, MVPD, was called to a bank where Clements allegedly attempted to cash a stolen check with a forged signature. Detective Sergeant Jeff Jacobs allegedly found several books of blank checks in Clements’ vehicle, and he determined through investigation that Clements allegedly passed another stolen check with a forged signature the day before. Thatcher said the blank checks were stolen from a business in Mount Vernon during a break-in that is still under investigation.

Michael E. Kupiec, 19, Howard, allegedly confessed to Detective Craig Feeney, MVPD, that he broke into a building at a public pool, on July 27 and 29. Detective Feeney recovered a television set and other allegedly stolen items from Kupiec’s apartment, on August 19. Kupiec is accused of two counts of breaking and entering and one count of receiving stolen property.

Bank surveillance video shows Michelle L. Maras, 26, Columbus, using a debit card to make a $200.00 ATM withdrawal, on June 9. Thatcher said the debit card was in a purse stolen from an unlocked car earlier the same day. Detective Dave McElroy, MVPD, investigated the case.

Tasha M. Hinkston, 20, Centerburg, is accused of possessing three stolen credit cards and using the credit cards to make over $1,200.00 in unauthorized purchases, on August 6. Detective Feeney, MVPD, investigated the case.

Christopher J. Litt, 56, Caledonia, allegedly took miscellaneous tools valued at over $500.00 from an auction without paying for them, on August 22. Thatcher said Litt was charged with theft from an elderly person since the alleged victim is over the age of 65. Detective Sergeant Roger Brown, KCSO, investigated the case.

Jamie J. Johnson, 32, Danville, was indicted for stealing a credit card and forging the owner’s signature on a credit card approval slip, on July 13. Deputy Tom Durbin, KCSO, investigated the case.

Bondolyn J. Mullins, 37, Mount Vernon, allegedly altered a prescription for Vicodin by changing the amount her doctor prescribed from 24 to 124, on January 22. Thatcher said Patrol Officer Jessie Butler, MVPD, was called by a pharmacist who became suspicious about the allegedly altered prescription. Mullins is accused of illegal processing of drug documents.

On June 14 at 2:50 a.m., Deputy Ryan Burgess, KCSO, was transporting a prisoner through Fredericktown when he found Gary D. Wieland, 60, Fredericktown, allegedly passed out behind the wheel of a motor vehicle that was stopped at an intersection with a loaded handgun in a bag on the front passenger’s seat. Trooper Matthew Them, Ohio State Highway Patrol, responded to the location to administer field sobriety tests that Wieland allegedly failed. The results of a blood test done by the State Patrol’s Crime Lab indicate that Wieland had Oxycodone in his system at the time. A subsequent investigation by Deputy Dan Bobo, KCSO, revealed that on ten occasions between April 2008 and April 2009, Wieland allegedly obtained Oxycontin and Oxycodone prescriptions without telling his doctor that he was already prescribed the same or similar drugs by other doctors. Thatcher said Wieland is charged with transporting a loaded handgun while under the influence of drugs and ten counts of deception to obtain dangerous drugs.