10 indicted for selling drugs in Lincoln Knolls area; 9 in custody

June 13, 2015 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Ten people, including a father and two sons, were indicted secretly Thursday by a Mahoning County grand jury on charges of selling drugs in the Lincoln Knolls area.

Of the 10, seven face the more-serious charge of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, accused of being members of a drug ring, Martin Desmond, assistant county prosecutor, said Friday.

Members of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force began Friday morning rounding up those indicted, getting all but one, and also arrested three others who were present when warrants were served for other crimes.

Desmond said the investigation took about 18 months and started with a tip about possible drug and gang activity in the Lincoln Knolls area of the East Side.

The lead investigator in the case is Youngstown police officer Mark Gillette, who is assigned to the task force by the department.

Desmond said members of the drug ring sold especially large amounts of cocaine and heroin, plus marijuana. He said most of them have been in prison before and were known to authorities.

The investigation was built by information gleaned from search warrants and undercover drug buys, Desmond said. When the arrest warrants were served Friday, police found $15,000 in cash and two handguns, along with cocaine and heroin.

Besides the corruption charges, which are commonly known as RICO charges, defendants also face drug-trafficking charges. All told, the grand jury issued a 29-count indictment, Desmond said.

Those indicted, all from Youngstown, are Jeffrey Howell, 34; Robert Brown, 53; DeAndre Underwood, 25; his brother, Andre Underwood, 30; their father, Andre Underwood Sr., 52; Brian James, 34; Eric Jackson, 49; Malcolm Myers, 24; Darryl Pierce, 46; and Ricky Fleeton, 31.

All but Fleeton were caught Friday.

City Police Chief Robin Lees said the case is another example of police work that is easier to accomplish when several agencies team up for an investigation.

“These types of cases and arrests are only made possible because of the cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecutors,” Lees said.

Todd Werth, who heads up the Youngstown FBI office, said the investigation is a good example of a case that tries to tackle a problem that significantly impacts residents and neighborhoods, which is why having all law-enforcement agencies on the federal and state level operating on the same page is important.