4-day-old baby taken from Austintown house after heroin found inside

Police raided a house on the east side of Austintown Tuesday morning, finding heroin, cash and a four-day-old baby, according to Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force Commander Jeff Solic.

Mahoning County Children Services agents came to the house and placed the baby, who was born Friday, in the custody of a relative who was not at the house during the raid, Solic said.

One neighbor said that starting around 9 a.m., police used a battering ram to break down the door to the house at 293 N. Edgehill Avenue. Police found four people inside the home in addition to the baby, and temporarily detained a few of them in handcuffs for questioning, but did not arrest anyone.

Solic said officers immediately smelled marijuana in the air and found the baby sleeping in a bassinet in one of the bedrooms.

“We contacted Lane Ambulance who came to the scene. They removed the child out into the ambulance to get it some fresh air, check the respiratory function and to basically protect the child,” Solic said.

Solic said that only three of the people found inside were related to the search warrant.

Police seized 150 grams of heroin, a small amount of marijuana and prescription medication, four firearms and about $50,000 in cash.

Police also towed three vehicles from the house.

U.S. Marshals as well as the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force were serving a search warrant at the house, with assistance from Austintown Police.