Police make drug arrest

YOUNGSTOWN — Police officers working a street crime unit arrested a man they saw involved in a suspected drug transaction at a known drug house on Willis Avenue.

Police said they saw a car driven by a woman pull into the driveway of the house around 10 p.m. Thursday and a man got out and knocked on the door. He was admitted and police said they witnessed some sort of transaction take place through the open doorway.

The man, later identified as Melvin L. Barrett, 51, of Glenwood Avenue, returned to the car and it pulled away. Police said they stopped it when the driver failed to use her turn signals as she turned onto Overland Avenue.

Barrett admitted to having drugs in his possession, police said, noting that they found three small plastic bags containing suspected crack cocaine and a broken glass crack pip in his pants pockets.

He was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia and lodged in Mahoning County jail to await arraignment. The driver was not charged.