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East Side raid yields pills, pot, cash — and slew of firearms
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Lt. Gerard Slattery, commander of the Youngstown police vice squad, displays an arsenal of firearms, magazines and ammunition, together with drugs and $2,000 in cash, at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. The items were seized in a Tuesday raid on a house at 931 McHenry St. on the city’s East Side.
YOUNGSTOWN
Police seized a large arsenal when they raided what they said was a drug house on what would otherwise be a quiet residential street on the city’s East Side.
The 11-gun arsenal seized Tuesday afternoon included two assault rifles, a submachine gun, multiple handguns, many large magazines holding up to 30 rounds of extra ammunition for the guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and a crossbow with a telescopic sight.
“In the 15 years I’ve been involved with executing search warrants for the city of Youngstown, this is probably the largest seizure of weapons from a single house,” said Lt. Gerard Slattery, vice squad commander.
“Hopefully, we’re going to prevent a few homicides” with the seizure of firearms at 931 McHenry St., Slattery said. The house had a constant pattern of visitors round the clock who stayed only for a short time, which is typical of drug houses, he added.
Also seized from the house under a search warrant were Vicodin and other prescription pills packaged for sale, Oxycontin, marijuana, digital scales, about $2,000 in cash, security cameras and two television monitors.
Arrested on a series of drug charges was Bennie Johns Jr., 32, of that address. Johns was charged with two counts of drug possession and one count of drug trafficking, all felonies, and two misdemeanor drug-possession counts and one misdemeanor count of possessing drug paraphernalia.
Johns remains jailed under $8,000 bond set by Judge Elizabeth Kobly during his Wednesday afternoon video-arraignment in municipal court.
Two women, who also were on the premises when the raid occurred, were arrested and remain jailed on outstanding Youngstown Municipal Court bench warrants unrelated to the drug raid.
They are Anna R. Lewis, 70, of the McHenry Street address, on a disorderly conduct charge; and Bessie L. Hampton, 66, of Jean Street, Campbell, on a charge of misuse of the 911 system.
The raid followed a two-week investigation in response to complaints received by the mayor’s office, said Slattery, who displayed the guns, drugs and money confiscated in the raid at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
Mayor Charles Sammarone said a complaint was received by DeMaine Kitchen, his administrative assistant.
“If we receive complaints from individuals in our community to the mayor’s office, we always try to take care of the problem,” Sammarone said. “We’re trying to do the best we can, and when there are issues out in the neighborhoods that have to be taken care of, we’re going to take care of them.”
“I’d like to say thanks to the city residents in the neighborhoods. They are our eyes and ears out there” who report suspicious activity, Slattery said. “The majority of our investigations are brought to us through citizen complaints.”
The search warrant was issued by Judge Robert Milich of Youngstown Municipal Court.
The raid was conducted by city vice officers and the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force. The arrestees offered no resistance during the raid, Slattery said.