An alleged drug house on East St. was put out of business Friday night by Oxford Village Police.
A police raid on Apartment #5 at 91 East St. yielded 1.2 grams of crack cocaine, two arrests, six citations and a variety of drug-related paraphernalia.
Oxford resident John Terry Hanson, 42, was charged with possession of cocaine less than 25 grams and maintaining a drug house.
Hanson is the apartment’s renter, according to police.
Auburn Hills resident Shannon Gene McDonald, 37, was also charged with possession of cocaine less than 25 grams.
McDonald was on parole for a previous drug conviction involving possession of narcotic/cocaine less than 25 grams.
A third suspect arrested by village police was later released.
Hanson and McDonald were arraigned Monday in Rochester Hills 52-3 District Court before Chief Judge Julie Nicholson.
Hanson is being held in Oakland County Jail in lieu of a full $10,000 cash bond. McDonald’s being held in lieu of a full $25,000 cash bond.
The preliminary examination for both men is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Six others present at the scene during the raid were cited by police for “loitering, frequenting where drugs are illegally kept and sold.” The citation is a village ordinance violation and misdemeanor.
Among those cited were two Oxford men, ages 41 and 42; three Lapeer residents, two men ages 37 and 43, and one 36-year-old woman; and one 35-year-old man from Washington Township
All those cited were released.
In addition to the 1.2 grams of crack cocaine, village police also confiscated three crack pipes, a digital scale, spoon, propane torch, three clear plastic baggies, a razor blade, wood handle knife, two screwdrivers, a metal rod, screener and other assorted items.
Police Chief Mike Neymanowski said his officers got wind the apartment’s drug activity “through talk on the street.”
“When you get these tips you’ve got to follow up on them,” he said.
Neymanowski said Friday’s raid was the culmination of a two-week investigation utlizing a combination of surveillance and informants to gather evidence for a search warrant.
“It was good police work by the officers,” the chief said. “I want to commend my officers for their efforts out here.”
According to the police report, Hanson said he lived at the apartment for a “couple of months” and “did not object to the trafficking and use of narcotics in his residence.” He told police “he knew that there would be illegal narcotics in his house” that evening.
“Hanson also stated he routinely accepts proceeds for the sale of narcotics in his house in either the form of money or other narcotics,” the report stated.
Hanson told police the spoon and propane torch recovered from his bedroom as evidence were used “for the purpose of cooking cocaine.”
The crack cocaine confiscated by police “was probably brought by Shannon McDonald,” Hanson stated in the report.
The 43-year-old Lapeer man, who was cited for frequenting a drug house, told police McDonald “is the top guy (crack supplier) at the house” and Hanson “accepts proceeds for the sale of narcotics at the house.”
The 37-year-old Lapeer man, who was also cited for frequenting a drug house, told police that on the night of the raid “Shannon McDonald was the person who supplied crack to the house” and “he observed McDonald break the crack into smaller pieces for the purpose of smoking and selling.”
McDonald told police he was in the apartment’s bedroom, seated on the bed, “next to a nightstand where a glass mirror was sitting, along with a razor blade and white powder residue.”
“McDonald stated that he was sitting there waiting to get a hit of crack,” the report stated.
Although the drug bust was relatively small in terms of the amount of crack confiscated, Neymanowski said it’s important in terms of the village’s overall safety.
“Even a drug house on a small scale like this affects the community,” the chief said, noting there was an increase in property thefts in the area surrounding 91 East St., which were most likely related to the drug activity.
“It seems like a lot of issues that we’ve had in the village have come from people who have lived at that address,” Neymanowski said. “It’s one of those addresses that’s been a problem for us.”
Neymanowski said he hopes the bust will send a clear warning to local and out-of-town drug users and dealers who would practice in Oxford.
“I think the word is out now that the village police are taking a pro-active approach,” he said. “We’re not going to let these things fall by the waste side.”