Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Major Fentanyl Dealers Admit Guilt, One Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison
(ZANESVILLE, OH)
Two drug dealers recently admitted their guilt in a joint FBI, CODE, and Zanesville/Muskingum County Drug Unit investigation.
On October 8, 2025, Steven Smith, 26, of Zanesville, OH, appeared in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas to admit guilt to the following charges on two separate cases.
March Case:
1. Possession of LSD with a Firearm Specification
2. Aggravated Possession of Drugs
3. Having Weapons while Under a Disability.
June Case:
1. Trafficking in a Fentanyl Related Compound, a felony of the first degree
2. Possession of Cocaine, a felony of the fifth degree
Also related to the June case, on October 17, 2025, Krisawn Taylor-Hayes, 23, of Columbus appeared before Judge Cottrill and admitted guilt to his indictment, reflecting two charges:
1. Trafficking in a Fentanyl Related Compound, a felony of the first degree with major drug offender specification
2. Possession of Cocaine, a felony of the fifth degree
Finally, on Monday October 20, 2025, Breonna Kelly, 19, of Columbus appeared before Judge Cottrill and admitted guilt to three counts:
1. Trafficking in a Fentanyl Related Compound, a felony of the third degree
2. Possession of Cocaine, a felony of the fifth degree
3. Possession of Methamphetamine, a felony of the fifth degree
Judge Cottrill immediately sentenced Steven Smith, handing down an agreed sentence of seventeen (17) years of prison for the previously convicted felon. Judge Cottrill ordered a pre-sentence investigation of Krisawn Taylor-Hayes and Breonna Kelly. Taylor-Hayes faces a minimum of eleven (11) years in prison and a maximum of twenty (20) years at his sentencing. Breonna Kelly faces sentencing with a jointly-recommended sentence of four (4) years in prison.
June Case Details:
The Steven Smith and Krisawn Taylor-Hayes case from June involved a cooperative effort between the Zanesville/Muskingum County Joint Drug Unit, CODE Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office.
During the course of the investigation, Steven Smith participated with Taylor-Hayes to sell 400 pills containing fentanyl but appearing to be Percocet to law enforcement. Smith, Taylor-Hayes and their driver, Taylor-Hayes’s girlfriend Breonna Kelly were caught still in possession of the money they were paid for the transaction.
Both men were arrested and have remained incarcerated since that time. Breonna Kelly posted bond in the case, but tested positive for drugs and her bond was later revoked.
“It is very satisfying to work with our federal and regional law enforcement partners to target individuals moving poison from Columbus onto the streets of Zanesville,” according to Litle. “Those involved in the local drug-dealing community know the stakes of selling drugs in Muskingum County, but many persons in Columbus are quite surprised to find out the severity of the consequences of their actions in this community.”
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