ROOKIE COP HIGH ON CRACK BUST

Nabbed Man With Enough Drugs To Feed Several Habits

The price for allegedly trespassing around an East Village hotel
proved quite costly for a man said to be caught with crack cocaine,
cash and drug paraphernalia this afternoon.

But rookie Const. Adam Potter really scored when he searched the
man's pockets and found a nice haul of crack cocaine.

Potter was on patrol duty when he spotted a man trespassing on
private property at 8 Ave. and 4 St. S.E.

In a subsequent search he seized about 35 grams of crack cocaine,
$267 in cash and several drug-related items from crack pipes to
lighters which he found in the front pocket of the man's hoodie.

The drugs are said to have a street value of about $4,300.

The area along with other pockets of downtown recently came under
public scrutiny as hotbeds for seedy characters including drug
dealers and petty criminals -criticism which prompted officials to
put extra resources in to cleaning up the areas.

Insp. Guy Slater applauded Potter for acting on his suspicions.

"This proactive effort by this young officer identified someone who
is alleged to have been dealing crack cocaine," Slater said.

"This arrest is consistent with our strategy to ensure that the
public feels safe and secure in the downtown core."

Slater added the amount seized would be enough to feed several addicts.

Potter said it is little surprise to see someone in an area known as
popular haunts for prostitutes and drug dealers with crack cocaine,
but he was pleased to make the find.

"People usually have anywhere from a gram to several grams of crack
on them at a time," Potter said.

"When you get a guy with 35 grams, that's a big score.

"It gives us a great deal of satisfaction when we know we can find
these guys and take a substantial amount of drugs off the street."

A 27-year-old man of no fixed address faces possession for the
purpose of trafficking and proceeds of crimes charges.

He also was charged with trespassing.