Man facing drug trafficking charge

PERKINS TWP. — A Lorain man is facing a drug trafficking charge after an officer noticed suspicious behavior in a parking lot late Monday. Zachery L. Kriso, 28, Lorain, is charged with one count of trafficking in drugs, a felony. Just after 11:15 p.m. on Monday, a Perkins police officer was patrolling a resort's parking lot in the 4600 block of Milan Road (U.S. 250). The officer noticed an occupied vehicle. He parked nearby and initiated casual contact with the occupant. When the occupant, Kriso, rolled down his window the officer smelled raw marijuana, according to a Perkins police report. Kriso was asked to exit the vehicle and asked if he had been smoking marijuana in the vehicle. He allegedly stated he was smoking. Due to the presence of marijuana, Kriso was searched. The officer allegedly found more than $4,000 cash in Kriso's inside his pants pocket. Kriso was placed in the back of a cruiser, but was not placed under arrest. The officer asked Kriso if there were any firearms in the vehicle. Kriso allegedly admitted to having two handguns in the car. The officer then removed Kriso's two five-year-old children from the car and had them sit with Kriso in the cruiser. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, the officer located the two 9 mm handguns, a marijuana roach, a marijuana cigarette and a shopping bag with a "large amount of marijuana" in it, according to the report. The marijuana in the shopping bag was separated into separate, tied sandwich bags, the report states. A digital scale was also allegedly located in the shopping bag. After acknowledging his Miranda rights, Kriso allegedly told the officer someone had threatened to shoot his house up so he decided to bring his kids to a township resort. He claimed the cash was income from his job, the report states. The officer contacted a prosecutor who authorized the drug trafficking charge. Kriso was taken to Erie County Jail. As of late Tuesday he is incarcerated there under a no-bond order. He has an arraignment scheduled for Friday at 10:01 a.m. An officer sat with the children at Perkins' police station until an adult came to take charge of them.