Man arrested with 17.1 grams of cocaine

Staff report

BOARDMAN

A township man was arrested Friday with 17.1 grams of cocaine in his vehicle.

Leon Hamlin, 46, of Hillman Way, is charged with trafficking in cocaine, a third-degree felony; felon with a weapon, a third-degree felony; and carrying a concealed weapon, a fourth-degree felony.

He also was issued citations for failure to reinstate and possession of marijuana, both minor misdemeanors.

According to a police report, police did a random license-plate search and the plates on a vehicle did not match the vehicle. Hamlin, said his girlfriend had recently purchased the car, but did not provide paperwork to prove that.

He then denied a search of his vehicle. Due to his license forfeiture suspension, the car had to be towed and police began to inventory the car.

A .22 caliber revolver loaded with five rounds was found underneath the driver’s seat, and inside of the center console was a small tin “with 46 individually wrapped bags [combined weight of 17.1 grams] of what appeared to be cocaine packaged for sale,” the report said.

The white powder tested positive for cocaine. The police report noted Hamlin was ineligible to possess a firearm due to a prior conviction of criminal sale of a controlled substance in New York in 1997.