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Man arrested twice in one week is one of five nabbed on drug charges
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A man who posted bond on a drug charge earlier this week is one of four people arrested on drug charges Thursday by city police in separate traffic stops.
Another person was arrested early Friday by troopers of the Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol on a felony cocaine charge.
Ricky Paige, 29, of Pointview Avenue, was arraigned Friday in municipal court before Magistrate Anthony Sertick on a charge of possession of heroin and driving under suspension. Reports said Paige was the driver of a car pulled over just before 2 p.m. Thursday by vice-squad officers Frank Bigowsky and James Welch at Erie and East Auburndale avenues for an improper turn.
Reports said the officers saw Paige reaching toward the center console of the car when they walked up to him, and they found a bag of suspected heroin inside.
On Sunday, Paige was arrested about 3:20 p.m., also during a traffic stop on the South Side, and after police found out his license was suspended, officers found a pill and a bag of suspected crack cocaine in the car. He was arraigned Monday in municipal court and given a $15,000 bond, which he later posted.
Magistrate Sertick set Paige’s bond at $15,000 on Friday.
Two other men were arrested on the East Side Thursday with pills after traffic stops by members of the vice squad and the Community Police Unit. About 1:50 p.m., CPU officers Jose Morales Jr. and Phil Skowron and vice officer Jimmy Hughes Jr. pulled over a car driven by Christopher Cochran, 31, of Warren at Oak Street and Greeley Avenue after it failed to stop for a stop sign. Reports said the officers saw Cochran reach as if he were trying to place something under the seat. A records check found he had a suspension on his license.
Officers searched the car and found a bag with eight pills inside, reports said. Cochran was taken into custody on charges of driving under suspension and possession of drugs. Magistrate Sertick set his bond at $5,000.
About 2:15 p.m., CPU officers Shawna-Cie Ott and George Wallace along with vice officer Mike Quinn pulled over a car driven by Gary Colian, 56, of Salem at Lilburne Avenue and Allerton Court for failing to stop at a stop sign. Reports said Colian also had a suspended license, and he gave permission for the officers to search his car. Reports said 30 pills were found, and Colian told the officers he had a prescription. When the officers asked if a pharmacy could confirm that they were in his name, Colian said no, reports said. He also was taken into custody on charges of possession of drugs and driving under suspension.
Magistrate Sertick set his bond at 10 percent of $3,500.
About 3:55 p.m., an officer pulled over a car driven by Peter Anderson, 23, of Salem, at Hillman and West LaClede avenues because it had something hanging from the rearview mirror that obstructed the view of the driver. Reports said Anderson acted very nervous but he agreed to allow the officer to search him, but before he did Anderson told the officer he had a needle, reports said.
The officer found the needle, as well as a burnt spoon and a bag of suspected crack cocaine in his sock, reports said. He was taken into custody on charges of possession of crack cocaine, possession of a drug-abuse instrument and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at 10 percent of $5,000.
About 4:30 a.m. Friday, a state trooper pulled over a car driven by Tracy Johnson, 38, of Campbell on state Route 170 near Southern Boulevard on a charge of speeding, reports said. Reports said the trooper saw a half-empty bottle of vodka in the armrest of the car.
Johnson was taken out of the car and performed a field sobriety test, and was taken into custody on a charge of OVI after the test, reports said. Inside the car the trooper found a bag of suspected marijuana and a bag of suspected cocaine. Johnson was arraigned on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and OVI. Her bond was set at $5,000.