ELO home raided

A father and son were among those arrested Thursday afternoon following the execution of a search warrant at their home which reportedly turned up heroin, drug paraphernalia and guns.

Home owner Richard H. Stoddard II, 69, 818 Lincoln Ave., was charged with obstructing official business, while his son, Richard H. Stoddard III, 46, same address, was charged with possession of drugs and receiving stolen property.

Davante L. Jackson, 23, of Cleveland, was charged with possession of drugs, while a 17-year-old Cleveland youth was charged with delinquency, with possible drug charges pending, according to police.

A woman and another man found inside the home were not charged. Officers reported the man had earlier that morning been transported to the hospital after an apparent drug overdose at his East Eighth Street home.

Armed with a search warrant out of county Common Pleas Court, the county Drug Task Force, Special Response Team and city police officers converged on the Lincoln Avenue home using a battering ram and "flash-bangs" to enter.

As the elder Stoddard was ordered to the floor, he reportedly became verbally and physically combative, cursing and resisting officers' commands, continuing this behavior as he was forcibly taken to the ground.

After being handcuffed, Stoddard advised officers he had a handgun in his pocket, and a loaded 9mm pistol was found in his front pants pocket and confiscated.

At one point, the elder Stoddard was seated on the curb in front of his home, awaiting transport to the police station, when he turned and made a comment to Jackson and the juvenile seated on his porch, threatening to shoot them if he found them in his home again. He had earlier told officers he was unaware they were in his home.

Believing Stoddard had directed his threat to police officers, a sheriff's deputy initiated a brief verbal confrontation between them that became heated until other officers intervened.

When officers attempted to place Stoddard into a cruiser with one of the two men, he initially refused to get in, but then relented when offered the alternative of riding with K-9 officer Ivo, who was brought to search the scene.

Task force director Brian McLaughlin reported the operation turned up seven grams of heroin with an estimated street value of $1,400, "a ton" of needles, crack pipes, several scales and 12 guns, all but one of which were located in a locked safe for which Stoddard reluctantly gave up the combination during a phone call from the police station.

The charge of receiving stolen property against the younger Stoddard resulted from officers finding a street sign for nearby Grant Street inside the home which he said he had had since he was about 16.

City Service-Safety Director Brian Allen and Mayor Ryan Stovall were on the scene and indicated they wanted the charge filed.

The juvenile was charged after initially failing to give the proper identification when asked, according to police.

Published by morningjournalnews.com