ENON – A routine traffic stop by an Enon police officer has led to the largest drug bust in the history of the village police department.
Enon Police held a press conference April 14 to discuss the recent seizure that resulted in the recovery of a number of illegal drugs with a market value of $100,000, one AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, one Logan semi-automatic handgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, drug-making devices and $5,000 in cash.
According to Enon Police Chief Lewis Wilcox, the event began around 2:40 a.m. April 5 when Enon Police Officer Robert Durham witnessed a traffic violation at the intersection of East Main Street and Beard Drive. At that time, the officer pulled over the vehicle driven by 32-year-old Matthew E. Reschauer.
“During the traffic stop, things just didn’t add up for Officer Durham. Through his training and experience, he began investigating further, and it really paid off,” Wilcox said. “From that traffic stop, we recovered a loaded handgun, cocaine, hashish, 118 unit doses of suspected LSD, and suspected MDA as well as a locked safe.”
Statements that Reschauer reportedly made during the traffic stop, along with the recovered items from the vehicle, prompted village police officers to apply for a search warrant that was subsequently granted. Later that afternoon, the officers served the search warrant at Reschauer’s residence, located at 1481 Parkridge Drive in Mad River Township.
“At that location, we found a marijuana grow operation which netted plants that weighed almost 28 pounds, along with marijuana containers full of marijuana that had already been harvested and packaged,” said Wilcox.
The officers also seized 130.22 grams of Psilocin hallucinogenic mushrooms; 34.45 grams of cocaine; 3.25 grams of MDMA (ecstasy), a scheduled one substance; 22.08 grams of the psychedelic compound DMT; 127.85 grams of hashish; and 74 gel capsules containing a bulk amount of 10 unit doses of MDA, a scheduled one substance known as the love drug.
Wilcox noted that one particular drug recovered during the drug bust really caught the attention of police officers. The officers confiscated over 6,000 unit doses of LSD, a scheduled one substance, which was packaged and ready for sale.
“LSD hasn’t been very prevalent in this area since the 1960s. However, there has been a resurgence of the psychedelic drug, and it is making a comeback,” Wilcox said.
The police chief also pointed out that it was the first time he had seen marijuana growing in three indoor grow tents, set up with a lighting system and fans, which were found inside rooms with reflective walls at Reschauer’s residence.
According to Wilcox, the ammunition was recovered from a closet in the home where a large amount of narcotics were also being stored.
Currently, the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab is analyzing the drugs recovered during the seizure, and the village police department is still pursuing leads that resulted from the bust as well, Wilcox said.
Reschauer was taken into custody and was charged with one count of OVI, one count of mishandling a firearm in a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and the illegal manufacturing and cultivation of drugs, which is a third-degree felony. Wilcox said Reschauer’s case would be presented to the Clark County Grand Jury in the near future.
“Evidence found during this investigation led us to believe that this individual was working alone and has been trafficking drugs for the last few years,” Wilcox said. “Obviously, this matter remains under investigation, but we can tell you this was an elaborate operation and was well thought out. This wasn’t something that happened overnight.”
The police chief expressed his appreciation to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office who graciously assisted Enon police in the processing of the drugs and other items at Reschauer’s residence.
He also pointed out that the items on display during the press conference amounted to a portion of all the items that were seized from Reschauer’s vehicle and residence.
“What we recovered would practically fill council chambers,” Wilcox added.
Enon Mayor Tim Howard and Village Council President Stephen Trout also attended the press conference. Following the conference, Howard spoke about the drug bust.
“This is an example how a simple traffic stop can lead to almost anything these days. That is why our village police officers have to be very well train and always prepared, not only for their own safety but the safety of our citizens,” Howard said. “I was surprised about the magnitude of this drug bust, but no community is immune to this growing problem.”
