Crack cocaine in car bumper leads to arrest

BOARDMAN

A New Middletown man faces a felony drug abuse charge and a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession charge after township police arrested him early Thursday.

A township police officer conducted a traffic stop on Market Street, according to a police report, and then received assistance from another officer on his way home from his shift. The second officer had observed the car’s passenger get out and shove something into the car’s front bumper.

The passenger, identified as Robert Porter IV, 39, of Woodland Drive, was arrested after police discovered he was holding suspected crack cocaine and that he had put drug paraphernalia in the car’s bumper. They also discovered that Porter was on parole for robbery.

The driver of the vehicle was issued a traffic citation. Porter was taken to the Mahoning County jail.