All charges held for trial in case of drug suspect
A Butler City police officer recalled Monday during a court hearing that “flash-bangs” were used for a drug raid that led to the arrest of three men in August.
One of those men, James L. Francis, 23, of Butler had a preliminary hearing Monday.
Ryan Doctor, who is a detective with the Butler County Drug Task Force as well as a city police officer, testified before District Judge William Fullerton that Francis was arrested when a warrant was executed at 119 Heim Ave. on Aug. 6.
Doctor recalled that the Butler County Emergency Services Unit used multiple flash-bang grenades before storming into the residence, where they arrested two of Francis' co-defendants.
After the hearing, Fullerton held all of the charges for trial.
Shayne Alan Lipka, 22, of Butler, and Jesse James George, 21, of Rimersburg, were the other two arrested.
All three men were charged with felony counts of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture or deliver, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Francis was additionally charged with criminal trespass. He was committed to the county prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Francis' lawyer, Christopher Urbano, made no closing arguments at Monday's hearing and agreed with prosecutors that the charges should be held for trial.
During the raid, Francis wasn't found in the home, but officers discovered that a door in the basement leading into 121 Heim Ave., the other half of the duplex, appeared to have been forced open and was ajar, according to the affidavit. They determined that Francis was in the other unit and treated the case as a barricaded suspect, Doctor said.
Doctor recalled that the police strike team used a loudspeaker to order Francis to exit through the front door. Officers spotted Francis peeking through a window and entered the residence where Francis was taken into custody without a problem.
Doctor said police tried to reach the lease holder of the duplex and eventually made contact with him. The leaseholder also testified Monday and said that he gave police permission to search his residence.
Back at the 119 unit, police found a medley of drugs and firearms. In a safe located in the entryway, which police believe was being used as a partial living area, police said they found seven bags of suspected crystal methamphetamine containing a total of about 3.2 ounces, a digital scale, $3,241 in cash, including $220 in prerecorded funds from the task force, seven boxes of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition, a Black Rain Ordinance AR-15 rifle with a scope and light/laser device, a JTS 12-gauge shotgun, Taurus .44 magnum revolver loaded with six rounds, a box containing assorted packaging materials, six methamphetamine pipes and multiple attachments for the pipes, and a box of .223-caliber ammunition.
In the entryway, police said they found a wallet containing Francis' Pennsylvania identification card and $220 in cash, including $10 in prerecorded funds from the task force, a receipt from the purchase of the .44 magnum revolver found in the safe, a white glass smoking device, three magazines for a .45-caliber handgun and six loose .45-caliber bullets.
In the living room, officers reported finding two butane torches, a backpack containing lose ammunition and magazines for various firearms, a Smith and Wesson 9 mm handgun box, security cameras and hard drives for security cameras, glass methamphetamine smoking devices, suspected crystal methamphetamine, a box for the shotgun found in the same containing a record of sale for George, a bag with five loaded gun magazines, a box of calibration weights for a scale, a wallet containing George's Pennsylvania identification, a bag of various paraphernalia and other items.
Francis' codefendants Lipka and George previously waived their preliminary hearings and their cases will be heard in Butler County court.
