Chillicothe — The Ross County Grand Jury met on Friday, July 24, 2026. They returned all 18 of their cases, with eight open for release to the public. From one of the cases,* according to the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office:
On June 19th, Chillicothe Police executed a search warrant at 186 Hirn Street in reference to drug trafficking by 62-year-old Karl Dean Ponder there.
After entering the front door, officers and a detective encountered a woman in the front room, and Ponder walking down the stairs.
In an upstairs bathroom, they found four bags containing powders. Lab results determined the powders were:
- 36.52 grams of fentanyl
- 6.38 grams of para-florofentanyl
- 10.22 grams methamphetamine
- 1.47 grams of cocaine
Todd Bost, investigator in the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office, said the drug amounts are in excess of personal use – and that the address comes up often in drug arrests.
The also found two rifles in the house, and a shotgun in the garage. Ponder is disabled from possessing a firearm from a 2011 Montgomery County cocaine conviction.
Ponder was indicted on:
Two counts of first-degree felony possession of a fentanyl related compound
Third-degree felonies for:
- Trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound
- Aggravated possession of drugs
- Three counts of having weapons while under disability
And fifth-degree felony possession of cocaine.
For all that, Ponder could get up to 48 years and $92,500 in fines.
*The investigators in the Prosecutor’s Office provide law enforcement reports on alleged offenses to the Grand Jury, which then deliberates on each case in secret. After each Grand Jury has adjourned, the investigators then offer a discussion of the law enforcement reports to news media in the cases that are open to release to the public.
