Bond is set for drug suspect

YOUNGSTOWN -- Elmer Austin, 35, of Transylvania Avenue, Warren, was arraigned Tuesday in municipal court on two counts of trafficking in drugs within 1,000 feet of a school. Judge Robert A. Douglas set bond at $250,000 cash or surety.
Austin, who also has a Fifth Avenue address in Youngstown, is accused of conspiring with Michael A. Dowdy, 36, of Crandall Avenue in the trafficking of powdered cocaine near Dowdy's North Side home, which is close to Hayes Middle School.
Dowdy was arrested last week and suspended Monday, without pay, from his job with the city street department. His bond is $300,000 cash or surety. The charges against both men are expected to be transferred to federal court for prosecution.
The investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms task force led to the seizure of 71/2 pounds of suspected cocaine.