Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Jury Takes Seven Minutes to Convict Man Who Supplied Urine to Defeat Jail Drug Test
Junction City Man Found Guilty of Tampering with Evidence
ZANESVILLE, OHIO – A Muskingum County jury needed just seven minutes to convict a Junction City man who provided his urine to another individual attempting to pass a drug test at the Muskingum County Jail.
Robert Givens, 35, was found guilty of tampering with evidence following a jury trial on October 22, 2026.
The case began when an individual at the Muskingum County Jail requested a drug test in order to qualify for release on a personal recognizance bond.
Corrections Officer Troy Pontius collected the urine sample but noticed something unusual.
The sample registered just 90 degrees, which is within the acceptable threshold but well below the typical 98 degrees for a freshly collected specimen.
The test also came back negative for drugs, despite the individual having tested positive for multiple substances only days earlier.
Those inconsistencies prompted corrections officers to investigate further.
SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE REVEALED THE SCHEME
A review of jail surveillance footage showed Givens and the individual speaking and walking together before exchanging an unidentified item.
Givens then placed the item in his pocket and proceeded directly to a restroom urinal.
After Givens finished, the other individual approached the same urinal and then immediately approached Corrections Officer Pontius to take his test.
Although cameras did not capture the urinals themselves, prosecutors presented the surveillance footage, drug-testing results, and circumstances surrounding the collection to establish that Givens had supplied the urine used in the attempted deception.
The defense suggested that the sample might have come from a third individual or that the person undergoing testing had legitimately produced a negative result.
The jury rejected those explanations and found Givens guilty of tampering with evidence after deliberating for seven minutes.
Givens has a prior conviction for forgery.
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INTERFERING WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
Drug testing plays an important role in determining compliance with court requirements and conditions of release.
Providing a substitute sample undermines that process and attempts to mislead the officials responsible for making those decisions.
The conviction demonstrates that attempts to manipulate evidence, even through seemingly simple acts of deception, can result in felony criminal liability.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lucas Howard prosecuted the case.
Givens will be sentenced at a later date.
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