According to Sheriff Matthew O. Hafey on January 25, 2021 Deputies from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office responded to Wal-Mart to try to locate a male subject wearing green pants and a black sweatshirt who hide unpaid merchandise in a bag of items he paid for.
Corporal Harger located the male subject and identified him as James Nicholas out of Piketon, Ohio, in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Corporal Harger patted Mr. Nicholas down and felt a .40 caliber HiPoint handgun in the right, inside pocket of his jacket. During the pat down Corporal Harger also located a boot knife, syringes and a clear plastic baggie of a white powdery substance, that Mr. Nicholas stated was methamphetamine.
(Pictured above: James Nicholas) Photos courtesy of the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office
Once back at the Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joseph Hugus and Detective Ramey processed the evidence. The white powder substance weighed out to be over 14 grams.
(Pictured above: The .40 caliber HiPoint handgun and 14 grams of suspected meth, confiscated during the arrest)
James Nichols was charged with Carrying Concealed Weapons, Trafficking in Methamphetamine and Possession of Methamphetamine.
James Nichols was set to be arraigned in the Circleville Municipal Court today, January 26, 2021.