Police Lock Out Drug Suspects

Police lock out drug suspects
Residents watch as sheriff’s deputies lock site of recent raids

The Herald-Sun
Saturday, November 05, 2005
BY LOVEMORE MASAKADZA lmasakadza@heraldsun.com; 419-6684

Suspected drug traffickers were booted from their home, and an uprising by a neighborhood that's mad as the dickens and not taking it anymore was behind the community cleanup of the narcotics scourge.

Deputies from the Durham County Sheriff's Office showed up at 1810 Rosetta Drive about 9 a.m. Friday armed with legal paperwork, sturdy shoes to kick their way into the home where three raids were conducted in recent months, and padlocks to keep the evicted suspects away.

Ken Gasch, a member of Partners Against Crime District 2 (PAC 2) who encouraged residents to come out and witness the lockout, said getting rid of such houses would cut the crime rate.

"Our communities belong to us," Gasch said. "Our communities don't belong to drug dealers. If people unite the drug dealers are not going to win."

He said the group would continue to work with property owners so that they can evict drug dealers.

John Schelp, Old West Durham Neighborhood Association president, also scorned the illicit narcotics trade and those who pedal dope as he watched the events on Rosetta Drive.

"The drug houses are a cancer on any neighborhood," Schelp said. "You have to address the tumor."

Schelp used Friday's situation to renew the call to have a citywide property manager's registry.

Having a handy list maintained by Durham government that identifies who is responsible for rental properties would make it easy for residents to contact the property managers in the event drug dealing is taking place, advocates say.

Rick Soles, property manager of 1810 Rosetta Drive, was involved in Friday's eviction after some members of Partners Against Crime District 2 got in touch with him about the drug activity.

"I did not know about the drug busts until people in the neighborhood told me," Soles said.

He decided to evict the tenants and he obtained a writ of possession of real property, which led to the lockout.

Police raided the house at 1810 Rosetta Drive three times within the past three months, confiscated cocaine and arrested several people on drug-related charges. The most recent raid was Thursday night.

Police reports show one drug bust went down on Aug. 26. Antonio Cendejas Vargas, 29, was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine. During an Oct. 18 raid, Hollie Neoll Barrow, 25, Calvin Benard Stewart, 17, and Dandre Jerome Fairgood, 18, were arrested. Charges included possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver crack cocaine and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of selling drugs.

Police District 2 Commander Capt. Ed Sarvis said a handgun was seized during Thursday's raid, but no reports were available to show whether arrests were made.

Friday morning, sheriff's deputy S.D. Martin III and Soles arrived in the deputy's car and parked in the driveway. After Martin knocked on the door and got no response, he tried the house keys that Soles had given him. The keys no longer fit the lock, so he kicked the door several times in an unsuccessful attempt to enter.

Martin then went to the back door, kicked it open and jumped into the house with Sarvis, followed by Soles.

"Nobody home," Soles said after he had spent a few minutes searching inside.

The deputy then padlocked the house and left two notices, which read that the property had been padlocked in accordance with a writ of ejectment issued by the Sheriff's Office.

Sarvis said the community's efforts would make it difficult for drug dealers to rent houses in the neighborhoods and the police would continue to hunt them down.

"If they are selling drugs, we are going to be there to stop them," Sarvis said.