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Monday, May 6, 2024

Columbus Drug Trafficker Gets Prison Time

A Columbus man pled guilty and was sentenced to time in prison for trafficking illegal drugs.

On May 1, Equawn J. Crawford, age 35, appeared in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court. Judge Kelly Cottrill sentenced Crawford to at least eight years in prison, for his crime of felony drug trafficking with a firearm specification.

On December 7, 2023, law enforcement officers pulled Crawford over for a traffic violation. During the stop, officers observed a firearm holster in the back seat and asked Crawford if he had a firearm, which he denied.

During the stop, Crawford became very nervous and started reaching into his pockets and around the car. Officers asked for his license and registration, and Crawford began looking for them while avoiding searching the car’s glovebox. Officers ultimately asked Crawford to exit the car, at which point they saw a firearm concealed in his front pants pocket.

Officers searched Crawford and found multiple plastic bags filled with powder, as well as bags containing fentanyl, marijuana, and a large amount of currency. Crawford’s car was also searched, and a plastic bag containing pills, later determined to be oxycodone, and a stolen handgun were found in the glovebox.

In total, Crawford was found to be transporting 26.5 grams of cocaine, 60 grams of methamphetamine, and 120 pressed fentanyl pills.

Crawford told police that he did not sell drugs, saying all the drugs concealed on his body and in his car were personal use. Crawford added that, if he were to be given a drug test, he would test positive for multiple drugs.

Before his arrest in Muskingum County, Crawford had a record of breaking the law in other counties.

In 2008, Crawford was caught and convicted in Dayton for carrying an illegal gun. He was put on probation, which he violated multiple times. He was not sentenced to prison but was ordered to serve jail time. In 2013, Crawford was arrested in Columbus for a felony forgery case. Those charges were reduced to a single misdemeanor, and he served only 30 days in jail.

Three months prior to his arrest in Muskingum County, Crawford was arrested in Columbus for possession of drugs, a felony of the first degree, but he was released on bond.

Muskingum County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Anderson says the community’s local enforcement officers do a great job of keeping our streets safe from dangerous out-of-town drug traffickers like Crawford.

“The deputy, Deputy Browning, did an excellent job during this traffic stop, where he ended up finding and preventing a significant amount of narcotics from poisoning our community,” Anderson said. “The Zanesville Police Department’s Officer Blanton also responded to the stop to ensure officer safety and saw the defendant's gun when he stepped out to speak with Deputy Browning. It could have quickly turned into a dangerous situation; and I want to thank all our law enforcement for the hard work they do in many dangerous settings, trying to protect and serve our community.”

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