3 houses, 8 arrests in drug roundup

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Eight others were arrested in separate cases.

YOUNGSTOWN — Robin Briggs tossed 14 bags of suspected crack and pushed a pregnant woman down in his sprint from police, reports show.

Briggs moved the 21-year-old woman out of his way so he could run into her apartment on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to hide, police said. She declined medical attention Thursday evening.

Briggs, 19, of East Judson Avenue, was caught by members of the Street Crimes Unit and charged with possession of crack and obstruction of justice and arraigned Friday in municipal court. He'll be back in court June 15 for a preliminary hearing.

Record show Briggs was also wanted on a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court warrant issued last month for failure to appear in a drug possession case. He'll be held without bond pending an appearance in Judge Jack Durkin's court.

Other arrests

The Vice Squad, meanwhile, used search warrants at three houses and made eight arrests Thursday evening.

Arrested in the yard at 71 Duncan Lane on the East Side: Jerry Thomas, 33, listed as homeless, on charges of possession of crack and possession of drug paraphernalia; Tangela Phillips, 40, of Thornton Avenue, same charges; and Yaraldean Thomas, 34, of Eastway Drive, possession of dangerous drugs (narcotic pain killer pills).

Records show Phillips was also wanted on outstanding warrants for failure to appear in municipal court in June 2006 in a traffic case (no valid license) and failure to appear for sentencing in July 2006 in a separate traffic case (failure to stop after an accident).

Kibwe Beacham, 28, of Kendis Circle was issued a citation charging him with disorderly conduct. Police said that, while conducting their investigation, Beacham was handcuffed behind his back but still managed to pulled his pants down while laying in the front yard and urinate, reports show.

"It should be noted that a considerable crowd had gathered watching the activities of the police on this hot summer evening," Detective Sgt. Dave Sweeney said in his report.

Arrested at 124 Funston St. on the North Side: Florence Blackwell, 49, of Crandall Avenue, and Jose Cecile Gagnon, 39, of Youngstown-Warren Road, Niles. Both women were charged with possession of crack.

Police said Ninja, a police dog, alerted on the mailbox where suspected crack was found. More of the suspected drug was found in the kitchen by Vice Squad officers.

Arrested at 58 N. Bon Air Ave. on the West Side: The resident, Ian Perry, 29, on a charge of possession of powdered cocaine, and Stacy Walker, 27, of Stanton Drive, on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Police said Ninja alerted on the closet in a third floor bedroom where the suspected cocaine was found. The suspected marijuana was found in Walker's purse by Vice Squad officers, reports show.

Saturday, June 9, 2007