T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Local highways saw heavy traffic and an increase in arrests during the Labor Day weekend.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Labor Day weekend was a busy time for motorists and for Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers as they worked to maintain order and safety.

Lt. James Faunda of the St. Clairsville patrol post said troopers saw an increase in traffic and in offenses compared to prior years.

“This past Labor Day we were very busy. Troopers stopped over 1,100 vehicles. Out of those 1,100 that we stopped, 904 of them were issued some type of citation. We had 10 impaired driver arrests during the four days, and we had several arrests for possession of heroin and crack cocaine during that time as well,” Faunda said.

“This year’s arrests for Labor Day compared to last year’s were up dramatically — by about 300 arrests,” he said. “There was just additional traffic on the roadway, and we had more troopers out working on Labor Day as compared to last year.”

Faunda added that the three drug arrests resulted from standard traffic stops where criminal indicators were detected.

“We discovered the contraband either on their person or inside their vehicle,” he said.

Among those arrested, Shiela Eckles, 50, of New Martinsville is accused of possession of crystal methamphetamine; Kevin Anderson, 47, of Columbus, Ohio, is accused of possession of crack cocaine; and Alicia Feladoki, 40, of Jacobsburg is accused of possession of Subutex. Faunda said those arrests were the result of three unrelated traffic stops.

According to court offices, Anderson has appeared in Belmont County Western Division Court and has a preliminary hearing set for Sept. 11. The others have not yet come before the court.

Faunda added that the majority of the citations issued arose from speeding offenses.

“People were in a hurry this weekend. They didn’t follow the posted speed limit in and out of construction zones,” he said. “You need to leave early enough to reach your destination without having to driving in excess of the posted speed limit, and you need to wear your seat belt.”

Faunda added that the post handled some minor accidents, but no major crashes or fatalities.

“There were no traffic deaths in Belmont County during the four days, which is what we strive to prevent, so it was a successful weekend when you look at that,” he said.