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Youngstown cops find gun, drugs after on man selling drugs in plaza parking lot
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Police seized a gun, drugs and almost $700 in cash Tuesday from a man who reportedly was selling drugs out of a car in the parking lot of a South Avenue plaza.
Michael Stanley, 23, of Charlotte Street, was arraigned Wednesday in municipal court before Judge Elizabeth Kobly on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, trafficking in marijuana, possession of cocaine, possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Stanley also has five felony drug convictions from three different court cases, and court records show he violated his probation in all three of those cases.
Judge Kobly set his bond at $75,000.
Reports said officer Travis Sheely was called about 10 p.m. to a 2608 South Ave. plaza, where customers and employees of a pizza shop were complaining about people going in and out of a car that was parked in the parking lot.
When Sheely arrived, he found a car that had backed into a space right in front of the pizza shop with the engine running and there were two people inside, reports said. Reports said Stanley was in the driver’s seat and officers could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car.
Officers Michael Manis and Mohammad Awad also arrived, and Stanley was told to get out of the car, reports said. Reports said Stanley complied but reached down as if he were hiding something when he got out, reports said.
Officers found two large bags of suspected marijuana in the car and the barrel end of a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol sticking out from the seat, reports said. There also were two smaller bags of suspected marijuana in the car along with a bag of suspected cocaine, a bag of suspected crack cocaine and 15 pills.
Reports said Stanley told police the gun was not his. He was taken to the Mahoning County jail where corrections officers found he had $675 when he was booked into the jail, to go along with an additional $21 officers found in the car Stanley was in.
The gun taken by police is the 24th firearm seized by the department this year.
Stanley is not allowed to have a firearm because of the first of his five convictions on drug charges dating back to 2010. Court records from common pleas court show in all three cases Stanley pleaded guilty, was sentenced to probation, violated his probation each time and was then sent to prison.
In 2010, Stanley pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking in marijuana and possession of heroin and was sentenced to three years’ probation. However, he violated his probation and was sentenced to a year in prison.
In 2012, Stanley pleaded guilty to charges of possession of heroin and possession of dangerous drugs and he was sentenced to two years’ probation. However, he violated his probation and was once again sentenced to a year in prison.
In 2013, Stanley pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs and was sentenced to probation. Once again, however, he violated that probation and was ordered to serve 10 months in prison.