Drug scale falls from pants of man stopped for traffic violation

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Reports said a man police were arresting on drug charges Thursday evening denied he had anything hidden in his pants — even though three times police found items that dropped out of them.

Austin Mendenhall, 29, who lists addresses on Orange Avenue and Applecrest Court in Boardman, was arraigned in municipal court Friday on charges of possession of heroin, illegal conveyance of drugs into a detention facility and trafficking in marijuana.

Judge Elizabeth Kobly set his bond at $55,000.

Reports said Mendenhall was a passenger in a car pulled over at about 6:30 p.m. at Hillman and Cleveland avenues for running a stop sign. Officers spotted a hollowed out cigar, often used to smoke marijuana, and a bottle of cough syrup. Reports said Mendenhall gave the officers a bag of marijuana.

An officer searched Mendenhall and found $2,390 in a pants pocket and also felt a large object in his pants. Mendenhall kicked off a shoe and a scale slid out of his pants.

Reports said the officer still felt Mendenhall was hiding something.

Read what they found in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.