June 30, 2005

By Diane Chiddister

Yellow Springs police arrested last week an alleged marijuana dealer and cited three other people in an apartment at the corner of South High and West South College Streets.

Leeland Longworth, Yellow Springs, was arrested for trafficking in marijuana on Tuesday, June 21, after police obtained a search warrant to enter the residence.

In addition, David Kuzila, Beavercreek, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia; Brian Cox, Florida, was cited for drug abuse and possession of drug paraphernalia; and Lora Winters, Yellow Springs, was cited for permitting drug abuse activity in her residence.

Winters was the renter at 821 1/2 South High Street, where the arrests took place.

Police began paying attention to the residence after the car of Benjamin Clark was observed parked there. Clark had been arrested the day before the drug raid for trafficking in marijuana, after he was stopped by police for a traffic violation.

A neighbor of the High Street residence also reported suspicious activity coming from the apartment.

When police arrived at the apartment, which is situated behind a house, on Tuesday afternoon, officers smelled marijuana, according to the police report. Longworth initially would not allow the officers into the apartment, but police had obtained a warrant through the office of William Schenck, the Greene County prosecuting attorney.

Inside the apartment, police found two marijuana plants growing in a bedroom closet along with five baggies of marijuana. They also found an assortment of drug paraphernalia, a cannister of marijuana and marijuana brownies. A rifle was also found.

Six officers took part in the drug raid, Police Chief John Grote said.

Longworth also was found to be wanted on a New Jersey warrant for distributing marijuana.

BJ Walters, who last week moved with his wife and child from 821 South High, the house in front of the apartment, said on Thursday that he was disturbed that, during the raid, police parked their vehicles in his driveway, left trash there and that TV coverage of the event featured his house.

The unwanted publicity reflects poorly on his business, said Walters, who purchased Ha Ha Pizza this spring.

When asked about Walters’s complaints, Grote said that the officers were cognizant of the family in the house and were careful about maintaining their safety. Beyond that, he said, “the structure dictated where we needed to be.”

Last week’s drug raid was the second in almost two weeks carried out by the Yellow Springs Police Department.

On June 9, police raided the Gardendale Drive home of Kimo Brown and charged him with trafficking in and possession of cocaine.

Grote said this week that police will continue to focus on drug offenders, whether they possess cocaine, marijuana or other illegal substances.

Yellow Springs does have a drug problem, Grote said, and police will continue to attempt to address it.

He said the department is currently investigating “quite a few” other possible drug offenders.

The department’s increased focus on drug trafficking and use has the backing of Village Council president Tony Arnett, who thanked Grote and the department for their efforts during Council’s meeting on June 20. Arnett also said that the Village police should have been doing more to address drug issues in Yellow Springs long ago.