Four arraigned on felony drug charges

By Joe Gorman

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Four people arrested by city police and state troopers over the weekend on felony drug charges were arraigned Monday in municipal court.

Montrell Hightower, 28, of Rutledge Avenue, was arraigned before Judge Robert Milich on charges of possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, illegal conveyance of drugs into a detention facility, driving under suspension and two warrants for probation violations. He was arrested just after 8 p.m. at Hanley and Logan avenues after he was seen driving at high speed and making an improper turn. Reports said Hightower told the officer he had a suspended license, and the car he was in was not his. A records check showed that Hightower has at least six open suspensions on his license, and he also has a warrant through Trumbull County.

Reports said that on the way to the Mahoning County jail, Hightower was asked if he had anything illegal and he said no. He also gave the same answer when corrections officers asked him if he had anything illegal on him. Reports said corrections found a bag of suspected heroin and a bag of suspected cocaine in his buttocks when he had to change his clothes. Judge Milich set his bond at more than $25,000.

Arraigned on charges of possession of heroin and tampering with evidence was Travis Pratt, 28, of Volant, Pa., who was a passenger in a car pulled over about 9:35 p.m. on Glenwood Avenue that was driving left of center. Reports said a trooper with the Canfield post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol saw Pratt plunging a needle into the floorboard of the car and he would not stop, even after being ordered several times to show his hands.

Pratt was taken out of the car and had brown powder all over him that appeared to be heroin, reports said. The trooper also found the needle. Reports said Pratt admitted to troopers he had recently purchased heroin nearby. His bond was set at $10,000.

Cory Thomas Davner, 25, was arraigned on charges of possession of heroin, possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia after he was arrested about 3 p.m. Saturday after a traffic stop at East Indianola and Taft avenues for running a stop sign.

Reports said Davner told police at least twice he had no illegal drugs in the car, but he did have several knives. He told police he was in the area to drop off movies for a friend, but he did not know the friend’s last name.

Police searched the car after a police dog, Hector, detected the smell of narcotics inside the car and officers found a dose of suspected heroin, three doses of suspected crack cocaine and a crack pipe. Reports said Davner told police he had the cocaine because “I just wanted to try it.” He was taken to the jail before his arraignment.

Judge Milich set his bond at $7,500.

Willie Hill, 77, of Campbell was arraigned on charges of possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Reports said he was the driver of a car pulled over about 1:35 p.m. Friday in the 100 block of Garfield Avenue for an improper turn, and reports said when officers approached the car they saw two crack pipes.

When Hill went to get out of the car, several crumbs of suspected crack cocaine were on his clothes, and there also was a dose of suspected crack cocaine on the seat, reports said. His bond was set at 10 percent of $5,000.