Two Columbus residents face felony charges following a traffic stop on Tuesday morning in Pickaway County.
According to the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, the stop took place along State Route 104 in the area of Florence Chapel Pike.
On speaking with the driver, officers observed a handgun holster and a small bag of marijuana sitting in plain view near the center console of vehicle.
A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Ruger LC9 handgun, later found to have been stolen from Ross County, in the area where a passenger in the vehicle, Cortez D. Jones, 20, of Columbus, had been sitting. On the vehicle’s front passenger floorboard, officers found a purse containing a set of scales with the residue of a white powdery substance. Officers also discovered a number of small baggies commonly used to package narcotics.
Upon questioning, a second passenger in the vehicle, Kyia M. Henry, 20, of Columbus, admitted she had fentanyl concealed in her clothing. She subsequently turned the suspected narcotics over to officers.
The driver of the vehicle, Thomas E. Burdette, 20, of Columbus, was charged with third-degree felony improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. Cortez D. Jones was charged with third-degree felony improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, fourth-degree felony possession of weapons under disability and fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property.
Additional charges in the case are pending lab results on the suspected fentanyl.