SANDUSKY (WJW) – Sandusky police told the FOX 8 I-TEAM they believe officers stopped a murder plot that began hundreds of miles away and targeted a person here in Northeast Ohio.

“Our patrol officers stopped a car on January 31 and found three loaded weapons in the vehicle,” said Sandusky Police Chief Jared Oliver. “One was an assault rifle.”

The chief said the three men were from out of state, two from Tennessee and one from Colorado.

He said Detective Jamie DeSalle started investigating the case and it appeared the three were looking to harm a city resident.

“What they wanted to do up here in Sandusky was a direct result from a shooting we had earlier in the fall of this year,” said Sgt. Kevin Youskievicz.  “They were highly upset by that shooting and they came up here with the intention to cause harm to a citizen in Sandusky.”

Robert Chapman, Devonte Fitzgerald, and Marico Hilson were all indicted by an Erie County Grand Jury earlier this week on several charges including conspiracy to commit murder.

The three are being held in the county jail and are due in court soon.

“I am extremely thankful for the police work,” the chief said.  “The patrol officers and detectives did an outstanding job. Everybody here is OK and nobody was harmed because of the great police work in this investigation.”