Police arrest suspected drug dealer during raid
A suspected low-level dealer was arrested Thursday night after the Butler County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at a home in Butler.
Officers seized a box of drug paraphernalia from Micah J. Christy's home on the 300 block of West New Castle Street. But that's not all they found.
Inside was Christy's live-in girlfriend and the couple's 6-year-old daughter, who authorities say was within arm's reach of uncapped syringes and empty bags of suspected heroin.
Christy, 31, is being held in the Butler County Prison on $100,000 bail for felony and misdemeanor drug possession. He also is charged with child endangerment.
Neighborhood complaints about traffic in and out of the apartment and a previous controlled drug buy led to the search warrant, said county Detective Tim Fennell, who heads the task force.
Christy allegedly sold a police informant 10 stamp bags of heroin in the Aug. 16 drug buy at his home, according to court documents.
During Thursday's warrant search, Fennell said, officers turned up a number of used syringes and empty heroin bags in a bedroom where they found Christy's daughter.
The drug materials were mixed in with children's clothing in the top dresser drawer.
The contraband, documents said, was not only “in plain view of the child, but also within her reach.”
The Butler County Children and Youth Services agency was notified about the girl, who was unharmed. Authorities later allowed the girl to go to the home of a relative.
Christy was taken to the county prison and arraigned Friday on charges of child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with the overnight search.
He was arraigned on charges of delivery and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance.
Fennell said Christy's girlfriend and the child's mother, Bobbie Jo Noble, 31, will be charged by summons with child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia.
