WAVERLY, Ohio. A local man was arrested June 29 after a Pike County sheriff’s deputy responded to a suspicious person report and found him lying in the weeds behind the Waverly Travel Center with multiple empty alcohol containers nearby.
According to a Pike County Sheriff’s Office incident report, Lt. Cottrell responded at approximately 3:49 p.m. to 14279 U.S. Highway 23. A neighbor who lives beside the business had reported seeing a male lying in the weeds behind a shed on the property multiple times that day. The man had no shoes and had been there for some time.
Lt. Cottrell located the man, identified as Ivan Thompson of Mill Run Road. Thompson stirred when the officer approached. Thompson told Lt. Cottrell he had walked from his girlfriend’s residence on Mill Run Road and was listening to music on his cell phone while lying in the weeds.
Several empty and mostly empty alcohol containers were on the ground around Thompson. He admitted to consuming some alcohol that day but could not give a precise time for how long he had been at the location.
It was determined that Thompson had an active warrant through the Pike County Sheriff’s Office for a probation violation on a charge of drug possession in Pike County Court case CRB2000655A. Thompson was placed under arrest on the warrant without incident.
Because the business was not the reporting party, no order was issued advising Thompson not to return to the property. He was transported to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and transferred to the custody of corrections personnel.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, substance use, or emotional distress, confidential help is available 24/7. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
