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Cops find 23 doses of heroin in one stop, cocaine in two others
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Police made four felony drug arrests resulting from traffic stops over the weekend, including one in which they recovered 23 doses of suspected heroin, while seizing about $1,650 in cash in three other stops.
The suspected heroin was found in a car reports said was driven by Bruce Harris, 43, of Oxford Avenue, who was arrested after being pulled over about 8:05 p.m. Saturday in the 200 block of East Florida Avenue for running a stop sign.
Reports said vice squad officers Jimmy Hughes Jr. and Mike Quinn could smell alcohol and marijuana inside the car. Reports said Harris told the officers he had poured an alcoholic beverage into a cup in the car, and that he and a woman who was a passenger had smoked marijuana a short time before at a business he runs.
Harris also admitted he had marijuana on him, and police found three bags of suspected marijuana in his pocket. A search of the car revealed more suspected marijuana and a plastic bag with smaller plastic bags inside with the suspected heroin, reports said.
Harris was taken to the Mahoning County jail on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of heroin along with traffic citations for running a stop sign and having an open container. His bond was set at $15,000 Monday by Magistrate Anthony Sertick during his arraignment in municipal court.
Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, Quinn and Hughes pulled over a car at Erie and East Judson avenues that also failed to stop for a stop sign. Reports said the driver of that car, Shawta Hasley, 20, of East Boston Avenue, told police he had no license and was visibly shaking and he kept reaching into a pocket despite being told not to.
Reports said when Hasley got out of the car, police found a bag of suspected crack cocaine in the pocket. He was taken to the jail on a charge of possession of cocaine and having no operator’s license. Police also found $416 in cash on Hasley, reports said. His bond was set at $5,000.
About 2:35 p.m. Sunday, police pulled over a car at Erie and East Philadelphia avenues driven by Kyle Kendall, 29, of Underwood Avenue in Girard, because the front windshield was cracked. Because the windshield rendered the car unsafe to drive, the car had to be towed, and it was searched before the tow, reports said.
Reports said when police went to tow the car, they found a dose of suspected crack cocaine inside and $755 in cash. Underwood was taken to the jail on a charge of possession of suspected cocaine and cited for having an unsafe vehicle. His bond was set at $5,000.
Also arraigned Friday was Ashley Hall, 26, of Shirley Road, who was found with suspected heroin and crack cocaine after a traffic stop Friday on East Lucius Avenue for an improper turn. She was charged with possession of heroin and possession of crack cocaine and her bond was set at $5,000 as well.
According to Vindicator files, police have made 34 arrests for heroin so far in 2016. Police department records show that at this time in 2015, police had made 11 arrests where heroin was logged in as property.