Saint Clair Shores Man Arrested In Ohio With 17K Prescription Pills
VANDALIA, Ohio (WWJ) - A Macomb County man is facing felony drug charges after he was caught with 17,260 prescription pills, worth approximately $338,000, following a traffic stop in southwest Ohio.
Thirty-year-old Williams Hedges, of Saint Clair Shores, was arrested on charges including possession and trafficking in Schedule II substances, both third-degree felonies, driving under the influence, driving in marked lanes and safety belt violation.
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers stopped Hedges' SUV on southbound I-75, near milepost 64 in Montgomery County's Vandalia, around 11:05 a.m. Thursday after receiving reports of a vehicle driving recklessly.
Police say Hedges was subsequently arrested for operating while visually impaired. An administrative inventory of his SUV revealed a bag containing thousands of pills, including Methadone, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone and Alprazolam, in addition to 148 Suboxone strips, according to police.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said it's the largest seizure of prescription pills in patrol history. The next largest seizure of prescription pills occurred in January 2013, when troopers seized 6,641 pills following a traffic stop in Scioto County.
