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Ray Grogan Marion County Prosecutor's Office, 100 Executive Drive Second Floor, Marion, OH (2026)

10/02/2026

Prison Sentences in Prison-Directed Fentanyl Trafficking Case

Lopez, Young Receive Multi-Year Terms; Nagel Sentenced to Probation; Cash, Guns and Car Forfeited

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan announced today that courts have sentenced three people after a MARMET investigation showed Jose Lopez continued to direct a fentanyl trafficking operation from inside prison.

Beginning in June 2024, the multi-jurisdictional task force MARMET detectives reviewed telephone calls Lopez made while incarcerated. Those calls showed Lopez directing Brandon Young and others on the acquisition, pricing, distribution and proceeds of illegal drugs, including fentanyl and buprenorphine. In a July 2024 call, Lopez told Young how much product to buy and what to charge per gram.

Other calls focused on thousands of dollars in drug proceeds and to where Lopez wanted that money delivered. One delivery location was the Marion County residence Lopez shared with Hailey Nagel, the mother of his children.

After a months-long investigation, MARMET detectives executed a search warrant at that residence. They located about $6,280 in cash, a handgun and a 2017 Dodge Charger. About $6,000 of the cash was concealed in a plastic bag under the kitchen sink. The recorded calls further showed the Charger had been purchased with proceeds from the trafficking operation.

Detectives also searched Young’s residence under a separate warrant. Inside his bedroom they located another fi***rm, multiple cell phones, large amounts of cash, packaging materials consistent with drug distribution, and approximately 238.47 grams of a fentanyl-related compound.

Hailey Nagel was convicted of attempted money laundering and received a term of probation. Brandon Young was convicted of two counts of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and received a total prison term of 14 to 17.5 years.

Jose Lopez was convicted of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, complicity to trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, and trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound. He received a total prison term of 12 to 14.5 years. That sentence will run consecutively to the two sentences Lopez is already serving.

Judge Matthew Frericks also ordered forfeiture of the drug proceeds, the fi***rms and the Charger.

“Prison walls did not stop Jose Lopez from directing a fentanyl operation in Marion County,” Grogan said. “These convictions show that investigators can still build a case when a defendant tries to run a drug business from a jail phone.”

Grogan said the volume of fentanyl recovered from Young, combined with the cash and the vehicle tied to the operation, underscored the scale of the enterprise Lopez tried to manage from custody.

“Fentanyl continues to kill people in this community, and anyone who keeps that supply moving will be prosecuted,” Grogan said. “This case is another result of the partnership between this office and MARMET.”

Grogan thanked MARMET detectives for the months of work that produced the recordings, the search warrants and the evidence that supported the convictions and forfeitures.

10/01/2026

Appellate Court Upholds Teacher Assault Conviction

Ohio Third District Court of Appeals affirms Jodi Grafmiller’s conviction

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan announced today that the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals has affirmed the assault conviction of Jodi Lynn Grafmiller, a former special education teacher at Hayes Elementary School.
The court rejected Grafmiller’s arguments that the jury’s verdict was against the weight of the evidence and that the trial court should have instructed the jury on self-defense or reasonable parental discipline. The court’s decision, issued this week, leaves in place Grafmiller’s conviction and sentence of two years of community control.

The case arose from an October 10, 2024 incident as Grafmiller was leading students outside for recess. A nonverbal autistic student in Grafmiller’s care, spit on her. Grafmiller then struck the child in the face with an open hand. A classroom aide witnessed the incident, which was also captured on school video. The aide testified that the child screamed and buckled her knees but did not fall.

The appellate court concluded that the evidence supported the jury’s finding that Grafmiller knowingly struck the child, who was functionally impaired and under Grafmiller’s care. It also held that the evidence did not support a self-defense instruction: spitting alone did not establish imminent danger of bodily harm, and striking the student was not the only available way to prevent further spitting.

The court further ruled that Grafmiller, as the child’s teacher, did not stand in loco parentis and that Ohio law prohibits school employees from using corporal punishment as discipline.

“Educators are entrusted with the safety and care of their students, especially children who depend on adults to protect and advocate for them,” Grogan said. “The Court of Appeals has affirmed that this responsibility carries real consequences when it is violated. We are grateful the conviction has been upheld.”

Grogan thanked Assistant Prosecutor T. Parker Schwartz II for successfully handling the appeal on behalf of the State.

“Mr. Schwartz did careful, thorough work presenting the State’s position to the appellate court,” Grogan said. “His work helped secure this affirmance and uphold accountability for the harm done to a vulnerable student.”

Photo: Ariel Russell (provided by her father and posted with his permission)

09/10/2026

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CRIMES INVOLVING CHILD S*X ABUSE MATERIALS

Both the Prosecutor and Defense Counsel Recommend a 10 - 12 Year Prison Sentence

Phillip William Vanscoy of La Rue pleaded guilty to four felony counts of Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-Oriented Material or Performance.

“Working with our law enforcement partners in the office of Sheriff Matt Bayles Marion County Sheriff's Office Marion,OH we gathered evidence that Vanscoy was collecting this vile material depicting children in s*x acts,” Prosecuting Attorney Grogan said. “Our case was strong and Vanscoy agreed to plead guilty and admitted his crimes in open court.”

The case started with a cyber tip from the. The Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing more than 5,400 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. ICAC constantly monitors the internet and even encrypted online communications for videos and images that portray children involved in s*xual activity or being s*xually abused. Detectives from Bayles’ office linked the ICAC cyber tip to Vanscoy’s phone.

Vanscoy, aged 32, is married and has three young children.

“Using children for s*xual gratification is among the most despicable acts imaginable,” Grogan continued. “Our work here will undoubtedly send this man to prison and, when he eventually gets out, he’ll be a registered s*x offender for 25 years.”

Grogan also thanked Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark R. Weaver for leading the prosecution and detectives Katie Barber and Christy Utley for their work on this investigation.

The final sentence will be handed down by Common Pleas Court Judge Todd Anderson at an upcoming sentencing hearing.

09/04/2026

Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Ray Grogan was invited to serve as a featured speaker at the National District Attorneys Association’s 2026 Forensic Evidence Conference, held this week in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The NDAA — the nation’s leading voice for prosecutors — selected Prosecutor Grogan to present based on his extensive trial experience, including dozens of felony jury trials involving the most serious cases handled by this office. His session focused on a murder case he personally tried, examining how prosecutors can effectively interpret, use, and present complex forensic evidence in high-stakes cases.

This invitation reflects the caliber of work being done here in Marion County and the respect Prosecutor Grogan has earned among his peers nationally. Prosecutor Grogan was proud to see his office’s work recognized on this stage and shared with prosecutors from across the country.

08/27/2026

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan announced today that he will seek the death penalty against Donald Alan Adams following a Grand Jury indictment on multiple counts of aggravated murder and related felonies.

Under Ohio law, the death penalty is available in this case because the Grand Jury determined that Adams’ actions formed a course of conduct involving the purposeful killing of one woman and the attempted killing of a second woman, with prior calculation and design.

The Marion County Grand Jury charged Adams with aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and felonious assault stemming from a knife attack on August 19, 2026, inside an apartment on Twin Lakes Drive in Marion County. Adams is 41 years old, and his most recent address was on Parkwood Avenue in Columbus, but last week, he was staying in the apartment where the crimes occurred.

According to the investigation, Adams and the woman who was killed were in a romantic relationship. Around 9:27 p.m., multiple neighbors heard loud screams coming from the unit where Adams and two women were inside. Neighbors called 911.

Investigators believe Adams stabbed the first victim, then repeatedly stabbed the second woman, causing life-threatening injuries. He then returned to the first victim and inflicted a deep fatal wound to her neck. She died at the scene. The second stabbing victim suffered multiple severe stab wounds and was transported to a Columbus hospital for emergency treatment, where she is still under care.

Security cameras captured Adams fleeing the scene minutes before law enforcement arrived. Following the trail, Delaware City Police later apprehended Adams at a gas station in the City of Delaware.

The indictment also includes a repeat violent offender specification based on Adams’ prior conviction for felonious assault in Muskingum County in 2016.

Grogan will prosecute the case along with Assistant Prosecutor Allison Kesler and Assistant Prosecutor Mark Weaver. Weaver previously served on the Ashland County prosecution team that successfully sent a notorious serial killer to death row.

Prosecutor Grogan said the decision to seek the death penalty reflects the calculated and extreme nature of the attack.

“This brutal and deliberate attack left one woman dead and another fighting for her life,” Grogan said. “Ohio law permits the death penalty when someone engages in a course of conduct that kills or attempts to kill two or more people. That’s what happened here and I won’t rest until justice is done in this case.”

Adams remains in custody at the Multicounty Corrections Center. He will be arraigned on the indictment on August 31, 2026.

Grogan thanked Marion County Sheriff Matt Bayles’ office, Marion Police Department, Delaware City police, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for their rapid response and thorough investigation that led to the indictment.

Like all defendants who are criminally charged, Adams is presumed innocent until and unless convicted in court.

08/25/2026

Third District Court of Appeals Affirms Murderer Jerry Lee Cooper’s Conviction and 21-Years-to-Life

Yesterday, the Third District Court of Appeals affirmed the murder conviction and sentence of Jerry Lee Cooper.

The appellate court rejected Cooper’s claim that the jury’s verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence and upheld the judgment of the trial court.

In January 2023, Cooper fatally shot his live-in girlfriend, Teresa Gibson, at their residence on Thompson Street in Marion. After the shooting, Cooper placed a towel over the wound in Gibson’s head, so he wouldn’t have to see her face as she slowly died. He then called 911 and claimed someone had robbed her. He later disposed of the murder weapon

A jury convicted Cooper in March 2025 of murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence, along with fi***rm specifications. The trial court sentenced him to an aggregate prison term of 21 years to life.

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Allison Kesler, praised the appellate court’s decision.

“This ruling confirms that the jury got it right,” Grogan said. “The evidence showed Cooper shot Teresa Gibson, left her suffering, and then tried to cover up his crime. The Court of Appeals correctly found that the weight of the evidence supports the conviction.”

Key evidence at trial included Cooper’s positive gunshot residue on his clothing, DNA evidence, cell phone location data showing his movements in the early morning hours after the shooting, and the medical testimony that Gibson remained conscious for minutes after the gunshot paralyzed her. Investigators from the Marion Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation worked together to build the case.

Assistant Prosecutor Allison Kesler argued the case on appeal for the State. Grogan thanked her for her work in defending the conviction.

“Allison did an outstanding job presenting the strength of the evidence to the appellate court,” Grogan said. “This victory belongs to the investigators who carefully built this case and to the jury that carefully weighed the evidence.”

Cooper remains in prison serving his 21-years-to-life sentence. The appellate decision brings finality to the case and affirms the justice delivered for Teresa Gibson and her family.

08/06/2026

Drive-By Shooter Sentenced to 48 to 50 1/2 years in Prison

The Marion County Prosecutor's Office secured a 48 to 50 year prison sentence for drive-by shooter Isaiah Redmon, whom Prosecutor Ray Grogan and Assistant Prosecutor Allison Kesler previously convicted for forcing his way into a home and later opening fire on a group of people that included two police officers.

In September 2025, Redmon forced entry into a residence on North Grand Avenue in Marion and assaulted a man inside the home. He then fled the area in a white Ford Escape. A short time later, Redmon was a passenger in a car driving down that same street, and Redmon fired four shots from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun toward a porch where two Marion police officers and four residents were standing.

Flock cameras that scan for license plates of passing cars helped investigators identify the vehicle Redmon used during the incident. “Flock cameras catch criminals every day and this technology made a big difference in this case,” Grogan said.

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan thanked Judge Todd Anderson for handing down the sentence. “Judge Anderson made the right decision – this man should spend a half a century behind bars,” Grogan said. “The message here is clear – shoot at police and other innocent people on the streets of Marion and we will stop at nothing to prosecute and punish you.”

“Too many thugs and punks think it’s tough or cool to drive around with guns and use them to intimidate others,” Grogan concluded. “Try it in this county and your next drive-by will be to prison. Just ask Isaiah Redmon.”

08/04/2026

Court of Appeals Confirms the Conviction and Life Sentence of Michael Stith

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan today thanked Ohio’s Third District Court of Appeals for upholding the conviction and life sentence of child ra**st Michael Stith, 52, formerly of Centerville Green Camp Road in Prospect, Ohio. Grogan previously charged and convicted Stith for ra**ng multiple children over nearly three decades.

Following the efforts of Grogan and his team, Marion County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Frericks sentenced Stith to life in prison. Three counts involved conduct committed in 1997 and 1998, when the victim was under the age of 13. Two other counts involved conduct committed in 2013, when the victim in those matters was under the age of 13.

“There are too many people who think nothing of s*xually abusing a child,” Grogan said. “I’ve noticed they are from all walks of life and often work in otherwise respected professions. Criminal predations can come from any source.”

“This is one of the worst r**e cases I’ve ever prosecuted,” Grogan said. “Stith preyed on multiple boys for nearly 30 years. I agree with the Court of Appeals - he should die in prison. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Allison Kesler did an outstanding job making the State’s arguments before the Court of Appeals.”

At the sentencing hearing, one of the victims delivered a powerful, 30-plus-minute impact statement. The victim, now an adult, described in detail what Stith did to him, calling Stith a “monster” and expressing hope that Stith “lives in fear for the rest of his life.”

He also spoke about the shame he carried, how difficult it was to come into a courtroom and recount the most intimate details of the s*xual abuse, and how he stayed silent for years because he wanted to protect the people he loved.

“Child r**e victims often remain silent or even initially deny the abuse because of the powerful shame they feel when someone close to them s*xually assaults them,” Grogan continued. “But we know how to prove these cases and justice ultimately prevails.”

Grogan noted he will continue to fight to keep Stith in prison. “Sex offenders like this do everything they can to escape justice, from trying to fool juries, seeking public sympathy, to filing frivolous litigation,” Grogan concluded. “But we are undaunted and results like this show how hard we will fight for child s*x abuse victims.”

08/03/2026

MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOLLOWING GUILTY VERDICT FOR R**E OF FOUR-YEAR-OLD BOY

After impassioned arguments from Assistant Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Parker Schwartz, Judge Todd Anderson sentenced convicted child ra**st Mark Kelley to a life sentence.

In 2024, the grandmother of the victim, reported to law enforcement that her four-year-old grandson had disclosed being r**ed by Kelley. The disclosure occurred after the victim told his grandmother that he and the defendant shared a “secret” that he was not supposed to tell anyone.

Throughout the investigation, rather than accepting responsibility, Kelley denied the allegations, described the victim as an “angry” child who “hates everybody,” and falsely claimed that the allegations were motivated by animosity from the victim’s grandmother, who had previously supervised him while they worked together. Kelley also blamed the victim’s mother for the accusations. A jury found Kelley guilty on both counts.

“What this man did is despicable and he deserves to spend the rest of his life in the dark shadows of a prison cell,” Grogan said. “Given that he’s now 66 years old, with a little bit of luck, he will almost certainly die in that prison cell.”

07/20/2026

Marion County Grand Jury Indicts Repeat Drunk Driver
Who Killed 16-Year-Old Boy Watching July 4th Fireworks

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan announced today that Timothy Best, 66, of Marion, faces felony charges for driving drunk and killing a 16-year-old boy on July 4, 2026.

On that date, Best drove a Ford pick-up truck northbound on County Road 183. He collided with a parked car. A boy who was watching fireworks with his family was standing behind the parked vehicle. Best’s truck crushed the teen between his truck and the car. The boy died shortly after.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation showed that Best had a blood alcohol level of .237 — nearly three times the legal limit. Witnesses reported smelling alcohol on Best’s breath at the scene. Investigators also determined that Best drove with a suspended license at the time of the crash.

Prosecutor Grogan said the evidence clearly shows Best made a series of dangerous choices that cost a child his life.

“Timothy Best chose to get behind the wheel with nearly three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system while his license was already suspended. As a result, a boy who was simply watching fireworks with his family is now gone forever,” Grogan said.

According to court records, Best has been convicted of drunk driving on four prior occasions, making him a dangerous repeat offended and enhancing the possible penalties for the crime.
Best’s high blood alcohol level, combined with his suspended license, shows a serious disregard for the safety of others.

At an arraignment today, Magistrate Matthew Nolan ordered Best held in jail in lieu of a $1,000,000.00 bond.

“This case is another painful reminder of the deadly consequences of drunk driving,” Grogan said. “When someone drives impaired and takes an innocent life, we will hold them fully accountable. No family should have to bury a child because a reckless fool decided to drink and drive.”

Grogan and the victims advocate in his office are supporting the boy’s family through this process.

All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless convicted in court.

Ray Grogan Marion County Prosecutor's Office

10/02/2026

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