Southern Ohio saw a major crackdown this week as federal marshals and local task force officers carried out a sweeping operation across three counties. The result? Four suspects in cuffs — including Portsmouth and Wheelersburg residents now facing a mountain of charges, and a wanted parolee with an attempted murder conviction back behind bars.
👥 The Arrested
Patricia Hill, 38 – Snatched up at her home on North Hill Road in Portsmouth.
Rodney Kent, 42 – From Gallia Pike Road in Wheelersburg, arrested with indictments piling up.
Robert Roe, 42 – Cincinnati man with ties to the group, also taken in.
Michael Scott, 58 – Adams County parolee, wanted for absconding after his release on an attempted murder conviction.
💥 The Charges
Hill, Roe, and Kent face a staggering 49 felony charges combined:
16 first-degree felonies
18 second-degree felonies
15 third-degree felonies
The bulk of those charges center on drug trafficking and possession — the kind of crimes fueling the addiction crisis across the region.
Scott’s case is even more alarming. Released on parole in May 2024, he quickly went off the radar. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction issued a warrant, warning that he was “dangerous and possibly armed.” His capture ends months of concern that a violent felon was roaming free.
📱 Hill’s “Prophetic” Facebook Post
Just three days before her arrest, Hill shared a striking post on Facebook that now reads like a grim prediction. On August 18, she posted a meme that read:
“I am a firm believer that if you don’t do right by people, life will not go right for you. You cannot lie, manipulate, and harm others, and expect to live in peace. Sooner or later what you put out will come back to you.”
But in her own words, Hill confessed she was struggling:
“You know I used to be a firm believer in this, but here lately anything bad or f**ed keeps happening to me. I know they say God don’t put more on you than you can handle, but right now I feel like I’m at my breaking point. I feel like I do good karma to people, I don’t do people dirty — so when is that gonna come back around? Man, life is hard.”*
Her words spread quickly online after the bust, with many pointing out the cruel irony of a local woman talking about karma just days before being hit with a laundry list of indictments.
🛑 A United Front Against Crime
The Southern Ohio Organized and Major Crimes Task Force (a combination of Portsmouth Police and the Scioto County Sheriff’s Department) called the operation proof that working together makes communities safer. With help from Greenup County Sheriff Matt Smith and Adams County Sheriff Kenny Dick, the arrests were carried out without incident.