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New police dog makes a big splash for YPD
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
City police dog Haus is starting his career off on the right foot – or paw, in this case.
Late Thursday, Haus and his handler, officer Joe Wess, helped arrest a man who was later found to have an array of drugs, a stolen handgun with an extended magazine and $2,000 cash, reports said.
Michael Triplett, 32, of Berkley Avenue was arraigned Friday in municipal court on felony charges of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying concealed weapons, four counts of possession of drugs and two counts of trafficking in drugs.
Magistrate Anthony Sertick set bond for Triplett at $150,000. He has a preliminary hearing next week.
This is Haus’ first week on the job. He replaces Niko, who has now retired after his handler, detective Sgt. Nick Bailey, was reassigned from the patrol division.
Wess, Haus and officer Marcin Stachowicz were working a speed detail about 10:50 p.m. Thursday on the Himrod Avenue Expressway when they clocked a car driven by Triplett going 64 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone. They pulled the car over on the Madison Avenue Expressway at the Wick Avenue exit, reports said.
Reports said Triplett appeared very nervous, and because he looked nervous, he was told that Haus would do a sniff around the car to check for drugs. Haus immediately detected the odor of drugs around the driver’s side door, reports said. Police then started searching the car and found a marijuana cigarette on the passenger seat. Underneath the seat, officers found a case with several small bags of suspected fentanyl, crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine and a digital scale.
Triplett then began running and jumped a cement barrier into a ravine, where he was caught at the bottom. When he was searched, officers found a loaded Glock 9 mm handgun with a 30-round magazine that was reported stolen, two different types of painkillers and $2,000 cash, reports said.
In the back seat, police found an empty drum magazine that could hold 50 rounds of ammunition and a box of ammunition, reports said.
Court records show that Triplett has been sentenced to prison three times in Mahoning Common Pleas Court and has already forfeited $5,883 in cash that was found when he was arrested on various drug or weapons charges.