Police: woman leaves 9 bags of crack in cruiser

By Joe Gorman

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A North Meridian Road woman Monday was arraigned in municipal court on charges she slipped out of handcuffs while she was in the back of a police cruiser, urinated on an officer’s jacket and left nine bags of suspected crack cocaine under the back seat.

Shana Fleming, 37, is in the Mahoning County jail on $65,000 bond after her arraignment before Judge Robert Milich on felony charges of escape, vandalism, harassment by inmate, possession of drugs, tampering with evidence and misdemeanor counts of obstructing official business and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Reports said Fleming was a passenger in a car pulled over about 7:10 p.m. Friday on West Woodland Avenue near Interstate 680 for erratic driving.

Both the driver and Fleming acted very nervous when questioned by police and Fleming gave at least two different versions of where they were going. Police had to ask her to get out of the car three times before a police dog sniffed the air around the car, and when she did, reports said she pulled away when officers tried to search her.

When she calmed down, a female officer searched her and felt a hard object in her crotch area and also found a dose of suspected heroin in her bra, reports said.

Police could not retrieve the other object at the time so they handcuffed Fleming and placed her in the back of a cruiser. When police searched the car, they found drug paraphernalia inside Fleming’s purse, reports said.

As police were finishing up, reports said officers noticed that Fleming had her legs up in the back of the police cruiser, and went to investigate. When officers opened the back door, they noticed the seat and Fleming were both wet and Fleming was holding the handcuffs she had been cuffed with.

Reports said it appeared that Fleming was able to slip out of her cuffs, get the jacket that was in the front seat, and use that to wipe up her urine. She told police she could not hold it anymore.

Fleming was searched again to see if the object was still there and it was not, reports said. Police then searched and where Fleming was sitting the lining of the seat was pulled back and underneath were nine bags of suspected crack cocaine in a larger bag. Reports said Fleming told police she did not have the money for such a large amount of drugs.

The driver of the car was cited for making an improper turn and released.