What started as a suspicious figure caught on camera turned into a full-blown arrest at Mike’s Auto Sales on Ohio River Road. Deputies say the suspect showed up in a white Ford Ranger, but it wasn’t long before he was in the back of a sheriff’s cruiser.
📹 Caught on Camera
Just after the call came in, a business employee reported seeing a man in denim rummaging through vehicles on the lot via security cameras.
- The caller said the man had been inside multiple vehicles.
- His own truck, a white Ford Ranger, was parked right there on the property.
- Deputies arrived and detained the suspect on the spot.
💊 Drugs & Damage
After getting permission to search his vehicle, officers discovered drug abuse instruments inside.
- More drugs were found directly on the suspect.
- Mike’s Auto Sales had to call for tow trucks to remove several damaged vehicles.
- Deputies placed the man under arrest and transported him to the Scioto County Jail.
The suspect was identified as James Howard, who now faces charges of possessing drug abuse instruments. He’s scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 16.
📜 A Long Rap Sheet
This wasn’t Howard’s first run-in with the law—far from it.
Open case: Driving without a license just days ago.
April conviction: Driving under suspension (a charge he’s faced nearly a dozen times).
Past arrests: Disorderly conduct, assault, DUI, domestic violence, and child endangering.