ASHLAND — Two Columbus men were taken into custody early Monday morning after the Ohio State Highway Patrol recovered 27 firearms and one taser stolen from Fin Feather Fur in Ashland.
According to a dispatch report from the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, Martell L. Dawson, 25, and Andez T. Henry, 18, were both taken into custody by deputies at 2:20 a.m. Monday.
ACSO responded to 652 U.S. Route 250 East at 1:40 a.m. after being notified by an alarm company of reported motion in multiple points around the business. Deputies arrived on the scene at 1:47 a.m. Ashland police were also dispatched to assist.
The report describes motion consistent with an intrusion was detected near the east main entrance of the business, along with an upstairs window and the east archery area.
Law enforcement reported finding broken glass upon arrival. Details of a vehicle alleged to be in connection to the activity was distributed to surrounding authorities, which lead to OSHP stopping the suspected vehicle along I-71 near Lewis Center Road in Delaware County.
OSHP troopers took one suspect into custody and discovered a backpack full of stolen firearms, according to the report. The second suspect was reportedly apprehended just a few moments later.
Both Dawson and Henry appeared in Ashland County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday via Zoom to set bond. Henry’s bond was set at $100,000. Henry is also prohibited from contacting Dawson or being within 500 feet of Fin Feather Fur, among other bond conditions.
Dawson’s bond was also set at $100,000. He too is prohibited from contacting Henry or being within 500 feet of the Ashland business, among other bond conditions.
Henry is scheduled for an initial appearence by video on Thursday at 11 a.m. Dawson’s initial appearence by video is set for Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
According to court records, both Henry and Dawson are currently charged with failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and receiving stolen property.
At 2:22 a.m., troopers reported finding 14 guns with Fin Feather Fur tags still on the firearms. They remained at the scene to search for additional stolen guns which the suspect may have discarded.
Back in Ashland, local law enforcement deployed a drone around 2:20 a.m. to begin clearing the business, according to the report, and remained on-scene until nearly 6 a.m.
In total, OSHP reported locating 27 stolen guns and one taser by 4:31 a.m. The stolen items were kept by OSHP until ACSO deputies could pick them up, according to the report.
The dispatch report additionally identified two vehicles — both Hyundai Elantras, neither registered to Dawson or Henry — in connection to the incident. According to the report, one of the vehicles had been hot-wired and its ignition was removed.
The other vehicle, still in the Fin Feather Fur parking lot, was “destroyed” after its driver allegedly missed the driveway to the business and crashed.
The damaged vehicle was towed away to an impound lot, the report stated.
ACSO’s command log for the call for service labeled the incident as an alarm and burglary. The incident remains under investigation.
