Drug dealer’s 67 pairs of sneakers up for sale
NEWARK — A Newark man went to prison in August without the dozens of pairs of collectible sneakers that he amassed, authorities say, as part of illegal drug-related activities.
Sixty-seven boxes of the confiscated footwear are now being sold to the highest bidder via a national online auction service.
The shoe brands include adidas, Reebok, Puma, K-Swiss and others, range in size from 10 to 12, and are being sold in six different lots. Bids will be accepted through Sept. 15, said Pam Jones, deputy clerk for the Licking County commissioners.
It’s one of the bigger hauls of ill-gotten sneakers by the Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force, which will use proceeds from the sale to clamp down on others dealing illegal narcotics.
“I’m not saying it’s the most we’ve seen at a location, but it’s unusual,” said Lt. Paul Cortright of the Licking County sheriff’s office and the task force.
Kenya Davis, 48, was sentenced in August to 11 years in prison for a felony drug possession conviction, after investigators found more than a halfpound of cocaine, 100-plus pills containing fentanyl, digital scales, nearly $2,500 in cash and an “extensive sneaker collection” described as “proceeds of his drug dealing” at his residence, according to court documents.
Davis is being held in the Correctional Reception Center in Orient while officials determine in which prison he will serve his term.
It’s not unusual for investigators to find shoes, jewelry and other items of value when searching properties used by drug dealers, Cortright said. But the number of new shoes at Davis’ home was out of the ordinary, he said.
The money and shoes were confiscated; bids for the shoes began Friday on GovDeals.Com, an online auction site used by Licking County and other governments to sell confiscated or surplus property.
Jones said the county has been using the auction website for a dozen years, with total sales topping $1.2 million to date. Most of those proceeds end up in the county’s general fund, though money from the sale of items confiscated as part of drug investigations is directed to further drug task force efforts, including providing the cash that officers need when making undercover purchases to catch dealers.
New Licking County items are listed at the beginning of each month. The shoe sale is the first time in several years that footwear has been featured — a lot of Converse tennis shoes sold for $100 back in 2012, Jones said.
Authorities have identified a body found along a roadside in Muskingum County as a Nashport-area man missing for about a month.
Sheriff Matt Lutz said 50-year-old George Bragg was last seen on Aug. 4. His body was discovered Thursday morning by a crew working on culverts.
Bragg’s body was sent to the coroner to determine a cause of death, and other evidence was collected at the scene.
An investigation continued Friday, and Lutz said the death is being treated as suspicious.
Lutz encouraged anyone with information about Bragg’s death to call detective Randy Wilson at 740-452-3637, Ext. 6019.