4 to be arraigned Friday on drug charges after traffic stops

YOUNGSTOWN

Police confiscated heroin, marijuana, crack cocaine, mushrooms, pills and a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol Wednesday while making four felony drug arrests in separate traffic stops.

At about 11:35 p.m., a police dog handler pulled over a car driven by 41-year-old Richard Parks of Austintown on an Interstate 680 entrance ramp near North Woodland Avenue. Parks was taken to the Mahoning County jail on a charge of possession of heroin.

At about 8:50 p.m., a police-dog handler pulled over a car driven by 35-year-old Randall Culler of Austintown for running a red light, and as he pulled over at East Dewey and South avenues, he threw something out of his car, reports said.

Culler was taken to the jail on four counts of possession of dangerous drugs, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

At about 7:15 p.m., another police-dog handler pulled over a car at U.S. 422 and U.S. 62 for speeding and driving with only one working headlight. The driver of the car, 22-year-old Jawon Williams, told the officer his girlfriend was in labor, reports said.

He was arrested on charges of possession of crack cocaine and possession of marijuana and taken to the jail.

Just before 7 p.m., officers from the vice squad on patrol pulled over a car driven by Timothy Thompson, 27, no address listed, for an improper turn at East Lucius Avenue and Southern Boulevard.

Thompson was arrested on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and the warrant.

All four are expected to be arraigned Friday.

For details of the cases, read Friday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.