A Wellston man was charged with maintaining a place to store and sell controlled substances, according tocourtdocuments.
District Attorney Adam Panter filed the charge on Feb. 18 against Paul William O’Connor, 64, who faces one felony count. According to court documents, O’Connor allegedly had a home in Wellston where people reportedly used controlled dangerous substances and went to for the purpose of using said substances on or around Jan. 6.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Jan. 7 at around 5 p.m., Det. Caleb Statton with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the property located near Wellston with assistance from the Wellston Police Department, Kickapoo Tribal Police Department, Stroud Police Department and the Oklahoma Fish and Wildlife Department. Two campers and a house located on the property were searched.
Drugs and drug paraphernalia were located in the two campers, with the men who resided in them questioned at the site. The owner of the first camper said the drugs were for personal use. Items associated with the sale of drugs were also located in the second camper, according to the affidavit. Both men had prior felony convictions.
Authoritiesthensearched the residence belonging to O’Connor, who wasn’t present at the time. They found drugs and guns, which were seized. Det. Statton believed at the time that there was sufficient evidence to charge O’Connor with possession of drug paraphernalia, maintaining a dwelling where narcotics are kept and sold, and possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony.