Elyria man indicted on drug, animal cruelty charges

An Elyria man is facing charges connected to a raid on his house in February. Anthony A. Jackson II, 28, was indicted by a Lorain County grand jury May 15 on charges of trafficking in drugs, two counts of possession of drugs, obstructing official business, possessing criminal tools as well as charges of cruelty to animals and cruelty to companion animals. Five of the charges are the result of an Elyria police investigation into the Jefferson Street home Jackson was renting at the time, said Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will. On Feb. 7, officers had a search warrant for the house and attempted to enter by knocking on the front door but no one answered. Moving to the west side of the home, the officers saw Jackson break through a screened basement window and flee, according to an Elyria police report at the time. He fled through the backyard before reaching a fence, at which time he turned and surrendered to police. Jackson told police there was marijuana, cocaine and a gun in the residence, the report said. While searching the house, officers discovered 2.8 kilograms of marijuana, a marijuana grow operation with several marijuana plants, cocaine, drug paraphernalia and a loaded 9 mm handgun with a 30-round magazine, according to the report. The animal cruelty charges stem from what was found in the home when it was turned over to the owner after police had searched it, Will said. The owner found the remains of a dead dog in the garage of the home, he said.