Cops answer several drug calls over weekend

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Police found small amounts of drugs or drug paraphernalia during several traffic stops over the weekend.

About 8:30 p.m. Saturday, officers investigating a call about a fight with a gun on the East Side pulled over a car driven by James Elliot, 44, of Youngstown on McGuffey Road near Garland Avenue. Reports said Elliot admitted having no driver’s license and a couple of pills but he added he had no weapons in the car. He gave police permission to search it.

Officers found four pills on Elliot. Although he was stopped because of the initial call, it was determined he was not involved, reports said. However, he was arrested on charges of possession of drugs and driving under suspension and taken to the Mahoning County jail.

About 6 p.m. Saturday, police were called to a parking lot at 2998 McCartney Road, the Lincoln Knolls plaza, for a complaint that someone was in a van and several vehicles were approaching the van and leaving quickly.

Police spotted the driver of the van and a passenger, Deanna Donnadio, 25, of Girard, come out of a store and approach the van. Reports said officers told the pair there was a complaint about the van, and asked if they could search it. The driver agreed, reports said.

Inside Donnadio’s purse, police found a dose of heroin, a syringe, a burnt spoon and other items used to inject heroin. Reports said Donnadio told police she had met a heroin dealer in the parking lot who had sold her a dose of heroin. She was arrested on charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia and taken to the jail.

Officers with the vice squad working in unmarked cars also made two arrests Friday evening on the South Side. About 11:25 p.m. Friday, Lauschyre Boatwright, 47, of Youngstown, was arrested after reports said he tried to hide a dose of crack cocaine from them at Cleveland and Oak Hill avenues. He was placed in the county jail.

Boatwright was a passenger in a car driven by James Toth, 47, of Parma, that was pulled over for running a stop sign. Reports said there was a syringe under the seat where Toth was sitting. He was issued citations for driving under suspension, possession of a drug-abuse instrument and running a stop sign and released.

About 9:40 p.m., Loren Valentine, 37, of Youngstown, was found walking in the road instead of the sidewalk by vice officers on patrol and they found a dose of crack cocaine on her. She also was arrested on a charge of possession of drugs/crack cocaine and taken to the jail.