Wednesday, April 29, 2015
By ROBERT CONNELLY
BOARDMAN
An Austintown man was arrested on 10 felony drug charges after police found him with nearly 350 pills.
Sean Michael Lyden, 28, of Rome Drive, was arrested at U.S. Route 224 and South Avenue at 4:18 p.m. Monday on the felony drug charges. He faces seven counts of possession of drugs and three counts of possession of dangerous drugs — all fifth-degree felonies. The charges are felonies due to prior drug convictions.
He also received a minor misdemeanor citation for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and a traffic citation for a seat-belt violation.
Lyden was pulled over for driving outside the marked lanes after turning onto 224 from South Avenue and wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. A police report detailed that he was nervous during the traffic stop and “his voice was shaking, and his hands were visibly shaking.” Lyden did not give consent to a vehicle search, and Boardman authorities called for Poland Township and its police dog.
Lyden was searched and had a pill bottle with a bag of pills in it, saying he had a prescription for some of them.
Authorities found 19 pills of 2-milligram alprazolam, or Xanax; 48 pills of 1-milligram alprazolam; 84 2-milligram pills of clonazepam, or Rivotril used to treat conditions such epilepsy or panic disorder; nine 1-milligram clonazepam; two 0.5-milligram clonazepam; and 21 2-milligram lorazepam, an anxiety medication. Six pills of Zubsolv, for detoxification of opioid dependency, also were found as well as prescriptions for 56 pills of Abilify, an antipsychotic medicine; 38 pills of Citalopram, an antidepressant; and 66 pills of Lamotrigine, used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder.
Lyden told police that pills found in a bottle with a prescription were probably left behind by a friend.
Lyden had a felony possession-of-drugs case dismissed in Austintown in September 2013 based on having prescriptions for the medication. He pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor drug charges at that time — possessing drug-abuse instruments, a drug-paraphernalia offense and drug-abuse misdemeanor — and had a fourth charge dismissed.