Federal jury finds Columbus man guilty of drug trafficking

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Columbus, Ohio man who possessed heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in a Parkersburg hotel room was found guilty today by a federal jury, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.  On August 4, 2013, drug task force officers arrested Toby Germaine Person, 39,  and Amanda Sue White, 25, both of Columbus, Ohio, in their hotel room at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Parkersburg.  The arrests followed the execution of a search warrant whereby police seized distribution quantities of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine along with cash, digital scales, and packaging materials.  Officers obtained the search warrant after conducting a traffic stop of two individuals who had just purchased drugs from Person in the hotel room.

Person has an extensive history of drug trafficking that includes felony convictions in federal court in both Ohio and the Southern District of West Virginia.  He was serving two concurrent terms of federal supervised release at the time of his arrest.  White was convicted in Wood County on state charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to the state penitentiary.

Person faces up to 20 years in federal prison as a result of his conviction to be followed by up to a consecutive four years for having violated the terms of his supervised release when he is sentenced on October 5, 2015.  United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the trial.

The case was investigated by personnel from the Parkersburg Police Department, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, and the West Virginia State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Hanks and Jennifer Rada Herrald handled the prosecution.