Athens County prisoner found with drugs in his rectum

ATHENS, Ohio (WCMH) — A man with a history of convictions and parole violations who was found with drugs inserted into his body while in jail has been sentenced to additional prison time.

According to the Athens County prosecutor, Matthew Holdren will spend the next three years behind bars after his conviction for aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony.

Holdren was sentenced after a two-day trial, which began with an arrest Nov. 12, when he was suspected of being in possession of contraband at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.

After undergoing a body scan, Holdren, serving time on one of several parole violations, was placed on dry cell status. Two days later, a search was conducted, and it was discovered that a bag was inside his rectum, and a toilet paper roll fell out of one of his pants legs.

The bag and toilet paper roll each contained a crystal-like substance inside, which were later identified as over three grams of methamphetamine.

Prosecuting attorneys stated in a sentencing memorandum that it took seven employees, four from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and three from the regional jail, to remove the drugs. The memorandum requested consecutive sentences with his violations, totaling four years and 267 days.

“(Holdren’s) conduct on jail calls and in the courtroom has shown that this is not that big of a concern of his and that he doesn’t view bulk amount as methamphetamine in the jail a big deal,” the memorandum stated.

A common pleas jury found Holdren guilty and ordered a prison sentence of three years.

Holdren was previously convicted of drug trafficking in 2009 out of Hocking County and incurred multiple probation violations, leading to another prison sentence in 2013. In 2020, Holdren was convicted of possession of heroin and possession of drug instruments out of Fairfield County.

The following two years, Holdren had several probation violations and was convicted of failure to comply. Additional Fairfield County violations in 2023 led to a 12-month prison sentence.

Holdren was booked in jail multiple times since, again in 2024 on a probation violation, and in April on Adult Parole Authority due to a warrant in this case.