City man faces drug charges after police raid house

Dozens of marijuana plants were found.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- A city man faces felony charges and one home no longer has marijuana growing in the basement after a drug raid Thursday morning.
By Thursday afternoon tables in the Girard Police Department meeting room were lined with drying marijuana, firearms and drug paraphernalia. The police garage stored more than 50 marijuana plants and dozens more smaller starter marijuana plants.
According to police, all the items came from the Oak Street home of 28-year-old Michael A. Patrone.
Patrone faces a felony charge of trafficking in marijuana and a misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. Police said he has been released on his own recognizance while waiting to appear in Girard Municipal Court.
Investigation
According to police reports, the investigation began several weeks ago when Detective Greg Manente received a tip concerning marijuana growing in the basement of a yellow house in the Avon Oaks section of town.
Police reports say Manente and Detective John Norman investigated the growing operation for one month before going to the home. The officers made several visits to the house with no one answering the door until Thursday when Patrone met officers at the front door.
According to police reports, officers asked Patrone if they could search the home for marijuana. Patrone, reports say, gave officers permission for the search and told the officers there was marijuana being grown for personal use inside the home.
Patrone, reports said, led officers to the basement of the house where dozens of marijuana plants in various stages of growth were found. Officers also found two large plastic bags and one small bag of suspected marijuana in kitchen drawers.
Officers also found three firearms, two with live rounds, while searching the house. More than $1,600 in cash with various drug paraphernalia were also confiscated.
jgoodwin@vindy.com