(POMEROY, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and members of the Major Crimes Task Force of Gallia and Meigs Counties announced today the arrest of an addiction counselor on a felony charge of aggravated trafficking in drugs.
Roberta Payne, 52, of Cheshire, was arrested Friday evening in Pomeroy after she allegedly sold an undercover task force officer more than 2,000 morphine pills and 30 milligrams of liquid morphine. The street value of the drugs exceeds $36,000.
Authorities began investigating Payne, who is employed as an addiction counselor in Gallipolis, after receiving a tip that she offered to sell morphine to a drug counseling client.
"This case is especially disturbing because the suspect was trusted to help those suffering from addiction, but instead investigators found that she used her position of trust in an attempt to push more pills into the community," said Attorney General DeWine.
"The action taken by the task force, with the support from the Attorney General's Office, proves that we have zero tolerance for those trafficking drugs in our backyards," said Meigs County Sheriff Keith Wood. "This task force has been very successful, and investigators will continue to pursue those who bring drugs into southeast Ohio."
"This case is shocking," said Meigs County Prosecutor Colleen Williams. "An addiction counselor knows firsthand the effects drugs have on people, and Ms. Payne is attempting to make money preying on the very people she should be helping."
"The ability of the member agencies of the Gallia/Meigs Task Force to work together with the Attorney General's Office has greatly improved our success in fighting drug crimes in our area," said Middleport Police Chief Bruce Swift.
"What is particularly disappointing about this is that a person who has been placed in a position of trust has apparently abused that trust by using her job to further illegal activities which are counterproductive to her position," said Gallipolis Police Chief Clinton Patterson.
The Major Crimes Task Force of Gallia and Meigs Counties is part of the Ohio Attorney General's Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and is comprised of investigators and prosecutors from the following agencies: Meigs County Sheriff's Office, Gallia County Sheriff's Office, Gallipolis Police Department, Middleport Police Department, Meigs County Prosecutor's Office, and Gallia County Prosecutor's Office.
Established in 1986, the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC) assists local law enforcement agencies in combating organized crime and corrupt activities. The Commission is composed of members of the law enforcement community and is chaired by the Ohio Attorney General. In 2014, authorities working in OOCIC task forces across the state seized more than $23 million worth of drugs and more than $5 million in U.S. currency.
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Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840
Roberta Payne booking photo
Photo of morphine seized as part of investigation