ASHLAND — Two Columbus men have each been indicted on at least 30 felony charges stemming from the Aug. 3 theft of 27 firearms and one taser from Fin Feather Fur in Ashland.
According to Ashland County Common Pleas Court records, indictments for Martell L. Dawson, 25, and Andez T. Henry, 18, were filed Thursday, Aug. 13.
Dawson’s indictment included the following 30 charges:
- Count 1: Failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer (F3)
- Counts 2-28: Grand theft when the property is a firearm or dangerous ordnance (F1)
- Count 29: Breaking and entering (F5)
- Count 30: Receiving stolen property (F4)
Henry’s indictment included the following 31 charges:
- Count 1: Failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer (F3)
- Counts 2-28: Grand theft when the property is a firearm or dangerous ordnance (F1)
- Count 29: Breaking and entering (F5)
- Count 30: Having weapons while under disability (F3)
- Count 31: Receiving stolen property (F4)
Dawson is scheduled for video arraignment Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. before Magistrate Emily M. Bates, according to court records.
Henry’s video arraignment, which will also be conducted by Bates, is set for Aug. 26 at 1 p.m.
According to the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office active inmates roster, both Dawson and Henry currently remain in custody at the county jail. Both men had bonds set at $100,000 on Aug. 5 in Ashland County Common Pleas Court.
If released on bond, neither Dawson or Henry are to have contact with each other or be within 500 feet of Fin Feather Fur, among other bond conditions.
Stolen firearms valued at nearly $17,000
According to an ACSO dispatch report, Dawson and Henry were both taken into custody on Aug. 3 at 2:20 a.m.
ACSO responded to 652 U.S. Route 250 East — Fin Feather Fur Outfitters — at 1:40 a.m. after being notified by an alarm company of reported motion in multiple points around the business. Ashland police were also dispatched to assist.
The report described 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 also 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 Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers stopping the suspected vehicle along I-71 near Lewis Center Road in Delaware County.
The indictments for Dawson and Henry allege the men used a motor vehicle to “elude or flee a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal from a police officer to bring (the) motor vehicle to a stop.”
The pursuit spanned a considerable distance from Ashland, including into Richland, Morrow and Delaware counties, according to the indictments.
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.
According to an Aug. 10 OSHP press release, troopers successfully deployed a tire deflation device, which caused the vehicle to slow down, but the driver continued fleeing.
“The vehicle later exited the roadway, and both occupants fled on foot. The Patrol’s Aviation Section tracked the suspects from the air into Delaware County and guided troopers on the ground to their location, where they were taken into custody without further incident,” the release said.
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.
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.
According to court records, the total value of the stolen firearms was $16,938.74.
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 allegedly 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.
