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Two Face Felony Charges Related to Falsifying Concealed Carry Training

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PORTSMOUTH — Two Scioto County men face felony charges after allegedly issuing or selling false training certificates used to obtain concealed carry permits.

Jerry Hayes, 36, of Lucasville, was indicted on 25 counts of falsification by a Scioto County Grand Jury last week, according to Sheriff Marty V. Donini.

A months-long investigation revealed Hayes was selling the training certificates for $50-$75 each. The time spent with the students, however, varied from just the time it took to exchange cash for the the certificates in a parking lot to a few hours of instruction and sometimes live shooting.

Jake Buckler, 26, of Portsmouth, faces 8 counts of falsification after an investigation found he was obtaining training certificates from Hayes and selling them at his place of employment.

Authorities have revoked 27 concealed carry permits, denied six applications and identified numerous unused bad training certificates as a result of the ongoing investigation.

Chief Deputy Todd Miller cautions people who are thinking of taking an Ohio concealed carry class to ask questions and know what services they are buying.

Ohio requires that each class be a minimum of 8 hours long, divided into the following:

-6 hours of classroom instruction regarding all aspects of Ohio’s concealed carry laws

-2 hours of handling the weapon and identifying weapon parts to include shooting the weapon.

The class must also have an exam at the conclusion of the training.

In the event you have a current permit and believe that you did not receive the proper 8 hours of training contact Chief Deputy Todd Miller at 740-355-1512.