CHILLICOTHE, OH – A drug trafficking investigation at a local hotel culminated in the execution of a search warrant and several arrests on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, according to a report from the Chillicothe Police Department.
Detective Adam Steele was conducting surveillance near the Christopher Inn, located at 30 N. Plaza Blvd, when he witnessed a suspected drug transaction between Justice Palmer and Matthew Vulgamore in the hotel parking lot. The exchange appeared to take place between Palmer and a gray Jeep occupied by Vulgamore, who was identified as having an active warrant from South Carolina for a probation violation related to burglary.
After the Jeep departed, officers conducted a traffic stop. Vulgamore was taken into custody after briefly resisting arrest. A search of his person revealed a loaded handgun and approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine.
Following the incident, Detective Steele contacted hotel staff and confirmed that Palmer was staying in Room 303 with two individuals identified as Brian Hurley and Madison Thompson, known associates of Palmer. Thompson is also Palmer’s girlfriend.
A search warrant for the room was approved by Judge Keith Washburn and executed later that day. Inside the room, police located:
- Palmer and Thompson, both taken into custody
- Three green Percocet tablets, approximately $1,298 in cash, and a knotted bag of crystalline substance on Palmer
- A loaded .380 Smith & Wesson handgun
- Multiple tablets of various colors, a digital scale, and a cellphone ringing continuously
- Two digital scales with white residue found outside the room window, which had been left open
Palmer admitted that the seized items belonged to him.
Police also found a gray Mazda sedan in the parking lot, which Palmer had been seen entering earlier. The license plate on the vehicle did not match the registration. The Ohio State Highway Patrol deployed a K-9 unit, which alerted to the presence of narcotics. The vehicle was towed for further investigation. A second search warrant for the vehicle was executed, revealing paperwork and an EBT card belonging to Randal Bellomy, though no narcotics were seized.
Palmer was booked on multiple active warrants, including:
- Failure to comply (CRA2500936)
- Obstructing (CRB2500333)
- Drug paraphernalia (CRB2401395)
- OVI-related offenses (TRC2404204A-E)
All suspected narcotics have been sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations for testing. The case remains under active investigation.
