Seven Miami University students were among 16 people arrested Wednesday as a result of a six-month undercover investigation, part of what Oxford Police Department has called operation "Felon Fest."
The operation was a collaboration between OPD and the Miami University Police Department, along with the United States Marshal's Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) and the Butler County Undercover Regional Narcotics (BURN) investigators.
Miami first-year Ronald Aselton, 19, was charged with four counts of forgery, one count of drug possession, three counts of furnishing false identification and one count of possessing criminal tools.
According to OPD Sgt. Jim Squance, Aselton created and sold fake driver's licenses and identification cards from his dorm room along with wristbands that would mark underage bar-goers as older than 21. Squance said Aselton also sold prescription drugs.
Squance said Aselton bought wristbands online and went uptown to check what colors were being used each night before selling them.
"This was most likely a very profitable venture for him," Squance said. "He sold probably a couple hundred (IDs)."
OPD Lieutenant Dan Umbstead said Aselton admitted to creating at least 50 fake identification cards.
"My guess is he probably made twice that (number)," Umbstead said. "He's been making these for a while."
Squance said police were led to Aselton after a number of drug and alcohol-related arrests pointed to him.
"Information from other arrests led us back to him," Squance said.
According to Squance, a number of Miami students have fake IDs.
"Probably half of the students we stop for alcohol-related violations or have contact with, have fake IDs," Squance said.
Aselton's roommates, first-years Michael Glazer, 19, and Nathaniel Greenwald, 19, were charged with misrepresentation because they possessed fake IDs, Umbstead said.
The other arrests include:
Miami senior Chip Smith, 23, for trafficking prescription drugs
Miami sophomore Carl Hayden, 21, for trafficking marijuana
Miami sophomore Matthew Steger, 22, for drug paraphernalia and drug abuse
Miami sophomore Jason Rose, 19, for felonious assault
Cody Powell, 23, for trafficking drugs
Ian Zehler, 22, for two counts of trafficking marijuana, two counts of possession of drugs and one count of drug paraphernalia
Brandon Muncy, 28, for trafficking drugs and drug paraphernalia
Joseph Even, 19, for three counts of receiving stolen property
Joe Jones, 53, for trafficking drugs, possession of crack cocaine, possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia
Bonita Jones, 55, for permitting drug abuse, possession of cocaine, possession of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia
Devon Brown, 36, for trafficking cocaine and possession of crack cocaine
Kenneth Root, 56, for deception to obtain dangerous drugs
Zachariah Kiskaden, 28, for possession of drugs, criminal tools and two counts of theft
A 17th offender, Eric Overton, was also arrested Thursday for possession of cocaine.
