INFORMANT LIED IN ZANESVILLE POLICE DRUG CASE, FBI SAYS

A woman who was the key to a federal drug case against a Zanesville
police officer has been charged with lying to investigators.

The Cincinnati Division of the FBI released a statement today saying
that Amanda Novaria, 26, of Roseville, is in custody of the Guernsey
County sheriff's office on other charges, and is to go before a judge
in U.S. District Court in Columbus this afternoon to face the federal charges.

Novaria had previously said she exchanged phone calls and text
messages with Donald Peterson, 33, who was then a Zanesville police
officer. Peterson, his wife and three others were, as a result of
Novaria's statements, all federally charged with distributing a
controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Peterson, who subsequently lost his job as an officer, was accused of
distributing crack cocaine, morphine and painkillers.

But prosecutors dropped all of the charges earlier this month.

Today, the FBI said Novaria admitted that she sent the text messages
about the drug deals to herself, and that the phone calls were
exchanged with someone else.

If Novaria is convicted, she could face up to five years in prison
for each false statement that she made.