Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 10, 2026
Muskingum County Takes “Low Level” Crime Seriously
In the last month, the Muskingum County Grand Jury has been busy handing down indictments for crimes that have all too often become commonplace and sometimes unreported in other jurisdictions.
To learn more about what a Grand Jury is and what their role is in making Muskingum County a safe place to live, visit our topics and answers page on our website: https://www.muskingumprosecutor.org/Topics-Answers/
Recent felony filings have included felony charges related to the following factual scenarios:
Car Break Ins – When criminals break into vehicles, the situation threatens citizen safety and interferes with people’s transportation for work. This also brings about the inconvenience of having to call the police and make a report. Aside from financial loss and concerns of identify fraud, these are all concerns brought on by this offense. Grand jurors found probable cause in the filings and returned “True Bills” for felony level crimes of theft, telecommunications fraud and possession of criminal tools. Grand Jurors also filed to forfeit the perpetrator’s own car as punishment for the offense.
Timber Theft – Real loss occurs when a person trespasses on another citizen’s property then cuts down and steals their trees. A citizen’s property is private, mature trees take decades to grow, and the timber itself holds monetary value. Muskingum County Grand Jurors returned “True Bills”, finding probable cause, for felony charges of theft, breaking and entering, and also filed to forfeit a perpetrator’s logging equipment in the case of a stolen walnut tree.
Misconduct Involving Traffic Accidents – When law enforcement is investigating a traffic accident and individuals scream, curse, and threaten the officers as well as intimidate members of the public, the danger to the public appears in many ways. Muskingum County grand jurors found felony charges of intimidation and obstructing official business in the case of a man who refused to accept that his wife would receive a minor traffic citation for an accident.
Lying About Identity – When a person gets in trouble for minor crimes and lies to law enforcement about their identity, innocent citizens can get caught up in the legal system. This happened in a case where a man used his brother’s identity to hide from a criminal case. Muskingum County grand jurors found felony offenses of identity fraud, forgery, and tampering with government records.
Many times, only the most serious and attention-getting cases result in a press release or a news story. The Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office wants to make certain the public understands in Muskingum County all felony crimes are taken seriously; including situations that might not grab headlines, but which cause danger, inconvenience, and frustrations for citizens going about their daily lives.
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