A New Jersey man accused of aggravated murder in Portsmouth was free on a $25,000 bond when investigators say they found suspected crack cocaine, a loaded gun, and more than $12,000 in cash at his Jackson Street home.
Just days before the drug raid, Kenneth Bailey, 36, had received permission from Scioto County Common Pleas Court to travel back to New Jersey for Father’s Day and his daughter’s graduation.
Bailey returned to Portsmouth after the approved trip. Less than a week later, he was arrested during a major Southern Ohio Drug Task Force operation.
The Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office has now asked the court to revoke his bond in the pending murder case.
Out on Bond for Aggravated Murder
Bailey, also known as “Cash,” is one of two men charged in connection with a deadly December 21 shooting near the Party Time Bar.
A Scioto County grand jury indicted Bailey in February on charges of:
- Aggravated murder with a firearm specification
- Murder with a firearm specification
Court records list Bailey as being from Neptune, New Jersey.
Bailey was released in March after his bond was set at $25,000. His jury trial was originally scheduled for June 15 but was later moved to July 21.
In early June, the court granted Bailey permission to leave Ohio and travel to New Jersey from Monday, June 15, through Friday, June 19. According to the court request, Bailey planned to celebrate Father’s Day and attend his daughter’s graduation.
His arrest on the drug charges came shortly after he returned.
Drugs, Loaded Gun, and Cash Seized
Members of the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force, assisted by the Portsmouth Police Department SWAT Team, executed a narcotics search warrant at a Jackson Street home at approximately 7:13 a.m. on June 24.
Investigators said they seized:
- Approximately 73 grams of suspected crack cocaine
- A loaded firearm
- Digital scales
- Approximately $12,077 in cash
- Other evidence associated with drug trafficking
Authorities estimated the suspected drugs had a street value of approximately $7,300.
Bailey was arrested on charges of:
- Trafficking in drugs, a first-degree felony
- Possession of drugs, a first-degree felony
- Having weapons while under disability, a third-degree felony
The weapons charge generally applies to someone legally prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a previous conviction, indictment, or other qualifying restriction.
Also arrested at the Jackson Street home was Hannah Lynne Hughes Hickman, 24, of Portsmouth.
She was charged with first-degree felony counts of trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs.
Both were booked into the Scioto County Jail.
Prosecutor Moves to Revoke Bond
Following Bailey’s arrest, the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office filed a motion asking the Common Pleas Court to revoke the bond that allowed him to remain free while awaiting trial for aggravated murder.
The court will decide whether the new charges justify returning Bailey to jail without the opportunity to remain free on the existing bond.
Bailey’s co-defendant in the murder case, Darius Herron, has remained in jail under a $1 million bond.
Herron, also known as “Bucky,” is charged with aggravated murder and murder. His indictment includes firearm and repeat violent offender specifications based on his previous record.
Two Out-of-State Suspects, One Local Murder Case
Bailey and Herron are both from outside Ohio.
Bailey is from New Jersey, while Herron has listed Chicago as his residence and has a criminal history in Illinois.
Both men are now charged in connection with a Portsmouth homicide. Bailey also faces new accusations that he was operating a large-scale drug trafficking operation from a local home while free on bond in the murder case.
Their cases fit a troubling pattern SCDN has reported on for years: out-of-state men establishing themselves in Scioto County homes and then becoming involved in serious local crimes.
Recent drug investigations have repeatedly paired men from outside the area, often with lengthy criminal histories, with younger local women who have little or no previous record in Portsmouth.
In this case, municipal court records showed no previous Portsmouth arrests for Hickman. Bailey, meanwhile, was already awaiting trial on the most serious criminal charge allowed under Ohio law.
The new drug case raises an obvious question for the court system: How did a man accused of aggravated murder remain free on a relatively low bond long enough to become the target of another major felony investigation?
Bailey, Hickman, and Herron have pleaded or are presumed not guilty unless the charges against them are proven in court.