Grand jury indicts 3 local men for fentanyl, firearms crimes within 1,000 feet of public elementary schools

DAYTON, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged area men in two separate cases involving drugs sold near elementary schools in Springfield and Vandalia.

 

Robert Holmes, 39, and Jamel Williams, 37, both of Springfield, are charged together in one indictment with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine.

 

It is alleged their drug trafficking took place within 1,000 feet of Fulton Elementary School on S. Yellow Springs St. in Springfield.

 

Holmes and Williams also allegedly possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking, which legally qualifies as a serious drug offense.

 

As part of this investigation, law enforcement officials seized five firearms, including an assault rifle, more than one kilogram of fentanyl, three kilograms of cocaine, and more than $143,000 in cash from Holmes’s property and vehicle near the school.,

 

If convicted, Holmes and Williams face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison for drug offenses and a potential consecutive mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison for firearms offenses.

 

Jason Glanton, 34, of Vandalia, allegedly distributed fentanyl within 1,000 feet of Helke Elementary School on Randler Avenue in Vandalia.

 

Glanton’s indictment alleges he possessed and distributed fentanyl and owned a firearm in furtherance of his serious drug offense.

 

While executing a search warrant, agents seized nine firearms and $21,000 in cash from Glanton.

 

The grand jury returned both indictments on March 14. Glanton appeared in federal court yesterday and Holmes and Williams appeared in federal court this afternoon. Their cases were subsequently unsealed.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Aftal announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi is representing the United States in this case.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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