Home of Carlos and Brenda Brown finally sold at auction for $108,000 after the house and all of its contents were seized

Former home of Carlos and Brenda Brown finally sold at auction for $108,000 after the house and all of its contents were seized following the Browns' drug trafficking convictions last year. <br />More than 1,000 people attended the auction at 4712 Hayes Road in Ravenna Township on Saturday, generating a total of $141,000 in proceeds to benefit the Portage County Drug Task Force, said Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci. <br />The 2,375-square-feet home sits on 4.2-acre irregular lot, that was filled with rows of the former belongings of the Browns. <br />Among the hundreds of items sold at the 10-hour affair, a John Deere tractor with the price tag still attached sold for $1,800; an ATV sold for $4,000; and nearly 20 bottles of laundry detergent sold for $17.50 apiece. <br />All of the items sold totaled approximately $33,000, Vigluicci. <br />Motorists parked where ever they could find a patch of grass. Cars lined Hayes Road and S.R. 5; some neighbors allowed eager participants to park on their property, others charged $3. <br />Even children got in on the action, setting up lemonade and soda stands adjacent to the auction site. <br />People shuttled back and forth from the auction to their cars, often carrying boxes full of items or large items such as computers or other electronics. <br />Auctioneer Jerry Cross said there were 500 people registered to participate in the auction, and another 500 who came along to watch. <br />His crew had three different auction sites set up on the property. Everything from appliances, yard equipment and dozens of electronics were sold at the auction. <br />"It's been overwhelming to see this many people," Cross said. <br />Vigluicci said the proceeds will be split several ways, with the majority benefiting the drug task force. First, he said, the cost of the sale will be paid as well as utilities and maintenance, and a share going to the prosecutors office. <br />"This has been a good success for law enforcement," said Vigluicci. "This sends a good message to the community showing what happens to your house and belongings if you sell drugs. This is the best example I can show." <br />In what was once a bedroom of the home, a broken safe laid on its side with door torn off after the raid. It was found to be loaded full of cash and drugs. <br />As part of their plea deals, the Browns forfeited $92,000 in cash, as well as their home and belongings. <br />Carlos Brown, 78, and his wife Brenda, 54, both pleaded guilty in October to charges stemming from a July 20 raid at the Hayes Road home that resulted in the arrest of both of them. The raid, according to Portage County Sheriff Duane Kaley, was the result of an undercover operation by the drug task force during which an agent successfully purchased the painkiller Oxycontin at the home. <br />Carlos Brown pleaded to one count each of aggravated possession of drugs, a first-degree felony; aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second-degree felony; two counts of aggravated trafficking, both third-degree felonies; and one count of permitting drug abuse, a fifth-degree felony. <br />Brenda Brown pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated possession of drugs; aggravated trafficking of drugs; complicity to aggravated trafficking; and permitting drug abuse. <br />Portage County Common Pleas Judge Laurie Pittman sentenced Carlos Brown to 10 years in prison while she gave Brenda Brown a five-year sentence. <br />The auction finally came to a conclusion just before 6 p.m., after a line of people waiting to pay for their purchases cleared. <br />Dan Lintz, who participated in the auction, bought a lawnmower for his father-in-law who just moved to the area. <br />"I got a good deal on it," he said, adding that he was fascinated with the number of people who attended. "I couldn't believe it. There were more people here than there was at the circus (Friday night). The circus didn't cost as much as it did here."

Home of Carlos and Brenda Brown finally sold at auction for $108,000 after the house and all of its contents were seized

Former home of Carlos and Brenda Brown finally sold at auction for $108,000 after the house and all of its contents were seized following th...

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