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Four arraigned on drug charges after raid at Struthers bar
By Sarah Lehr
STRUTHERS
Four people were arraigned on felony drug charges Friday after a raid of The Bowery bar in Struthers on Thursday evening.
Struthers Prosecutor Dominic Leone described the establishment, at 2729 E. Midlothian Blvd., as a site of drug trafficking and said the city is planning to shut the place down.
Struthers residents Michael Major, 51; Rosann Wilson, 47; April Fennell, 41; and Kimberly Procick, 51; appeared in Struthers Municipal Court on charges of drug possession. Major is also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
Major and Fennel are Bowery employees, according to a Struthers police report.
The Mahoning Valley Drug Task Force raided The Bowery about 8 p.m. Thursday on a warrant through Struthers court.
Struthers police assisted with the operation.
The search yielded a small amount of cocaine that had been packaged for sale and prescription medication, according Lt. Jeff Solic of the task force.
Solic said the task force has received complaints about The Bowery since 2015. Investigators are awaiting drug-testing results and will likely file additional charges of drug trafficking via direct presentment to a Mahoning County grand jury, he said.
The four people facing charges could not be reached for comment late Friday and did not yet have attorneys listed through Struthers court.
Leone, who is also a candidate for Struthers judge, said the city is “seriously looking into” filing a nuisance complaint to shutter the bar.
“We’re cracking down on dealers and suppliers,” Leone said. “We’re going to be a lot tougher on it.”
The bar’s owner, William “Butch” Calabrette, objects to the city’s characterization.
“The bar isn’t a nuisance,” Calabrette said. “It’s a little neighborhood bar.”
Gregg Zebosky of Youngstown, a regular at The Bowery, said he was there when police arrived Thursday.
“I was shocked,” Zebosky said. “I’ve been coming to this bar for two years and I’ve not even heard anybody raise their voice. Almost everyone in here is over 60. ... Any bar you go into in Youngstown, if you want drugs or something, you’ll get it.”