Traffic stop snags suspects
MIDDLESEX TWP — It was one of those not-so-ordinary traffic stops.
Middlesex Township Patrolman Bryan Costanzo thought this was just going to be an average speed stop on Route 8 Sunday night.
But it ended in arrests — the driver, who was wanted by the United States Secret Service, and her passenger, a suspected drug dealer who was illegally possessing a handgun and narcotics.
Shenita C. Howard, 24, of Pittsburgh is in federal custody having been turned over Monday to the Secret Service.
Her boyfriend, Derek Reddix, 28, of Pittsburgh remains in Butler County Prison on $50,000 bail. He is also being held on a detainer out of Allegheny County.
Costanzo initially spotted Howard's southbound car about 9:35 p.m. Sunday speeding by his parked cruiser on Route 8. Using the VASCAR system, the officer measured the car's speed at 79.5 mph in a 50 mph zone, according to court documents.
He caught up to and stopped the vehicle. When Costanzo ran Howard's name against law enforcement databases, he learned there was a federal arrest warrant for her.
Court records showed that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri issued the warrant July 5 in connection with a counterfeit credit card investigation by the Secret Service.
Details of the investigation were not immediately available. Calls to the Secret Service were not returned this week.
Costanzo charged Howard with arrest before requisition, which ordered her held for the Secret Service, and she was put in Butler County Prison on $100,000 bail pending an extradition hearing.
Secret Service agents arrived Monday and took custody of her. It was not known where she's being held.
Back at the traffic stop, Costanzo also had his hands full with Reddix, a felon, who allegedly gave police a bogus name.
When the officer removed the defendant from the vehicle, he noticed a 9 mm pistol. The gun, which was loaded, was near Reddix's seat. A search of Reddix turned up two bags containing suspected crack cocaine. He also was carrying three cell phones and $650 in currency.District Judge Bill O'Donnell arraigned him on felony charges of illegally possessing a firearm and carrying a gun without a concealed carry license.Because of his felony record, Reddix cannot own or possess a gun.Additionally, he was arraigned on misdemeanor charges of drug possession and giving false information to police.Costanzo also discovered that Pittsburgh police had a felony arrest warrant for the defendant in connection with an early Saturday morning police chase.Pittsburgh police tried to stop Reddix's car following a suspected drug deal but he managed to get away. The chase was ended out of public safety concerns.
