A drug investigation by the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office led to additional charges against a Marysville man last week.
Derek J. Blubaugh, 21, of 11480 U.S. Route 36, Lot 128, was indicted July 1 on two counts each of possession of LSD, possessing criminal tools, trafficking in LSD with a specification for forfeiture of property, possessing criminal tools with a specification for forfeiture of property and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia. LSD is lysergic acid diethylamide, also called lysergide, a potent synthetic hallucinogenic drug.
According to the sheriff’s office, the Champaign County Criminal Investigations Division began a drug investigation in reference to Blubaugh on June 19. The investigation reportedly revealed that he was offering to sell LSD.
Investigators established surveillance on Blubaugh over an eight-day period during which he sold on two occasions what was alleged to be strips of LSD. These transactions occurred at the North Lewisburg Community Park near juveniles.
During the investigation, Blubaugh was observed riding a bicycle to the park and wearing a curly wig. He was arrested and transported to the Tri-County Regional Jail, Mechanicsburg, on June 26.
Blubaugh was also indicted in June for theft and receiving stolen property stemming from an April 16 incident. The property taken was a television, according to the grand jury indictment.
A notice of bond violation was filed by Champaign County Assistant Prosecutor Wesley Somogy on June 29 alleging two bond violations Blubaugh committed after pleading not guilty to the theft charges.
These allegations included Blubaugh violating a no-contact order after a sheriff’s deputy saw him in a vehicle driven by Rachel Miller on June 21 and failing to be a law-abiding citizen after he was indicted in Union County for theft, petty theft, tampering with records and aggravated menacing on June 23.
Miller, 36, of 701 Mill St., North Lewisburg, was also indicted in June for theft, receiving stolen property and falsification. The falsification charge stems from April 28 when Miller allegedly falsely reported that a television set she had been renting from Showplace had been stolen from her residence when she knew that she and Blubaugh had pawned the set without the knowledge or consent of the property owner.
Blubaugh admitted to the bond violations on July 2 and his personal recognizance bond was revoked. He also pleaded not guilty to the new charges against him during the same hearing and remained in jail as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the jail’s website.
Seven of the nine people a Champaign County indicted last week were charged with a drug offense.
As of Tuesday, the sheriff’s office was following up on information in reference to the arrest of Blubaugh. Residents with any information about drug activity may contact the sheriff’s office at 937-484-6091 and speak with an investigator or leave drug information on the drug hotline at 937-484-1905.
