On March 10, Assistant Chief Yearta and Sergeant Geralds had responded to 1029 Park Avenue Extension in reference to locating a suspect at his residence. This was so that the officers could serve the suspect with a previous arrest warrant for assault and battery (third degree) and a previous arrest warrant for assault and battery (second degree).
Upon arriving, officers knocked on the front door of the residence, at which time Subject #1 opened the door. Upon opening the front door, both Yearta and Geralds noted the overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from within the residence. Subject #1 was then questioned as to if the suspect was at home. Subject #1 then stated that he did not believe so but would go check.
Subject #1 then went back inside the residence and closed the door behind him. A short time later, Subject #1 returned and opened the door again. Upon opening the door again, Yearta and Geralds again noted the overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from within the residence. At this time, Yearta and Geralds had Subject #1 exit the residence and take a seat on the front porch. Yearta then advised Subject #1 what had already been observed by himself and Geralds.
Yearta further advised Subject #1 that due to the overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from the residence, that a search warrant for the residence could be compiled. Subject #1 then admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day. However, Subject #1 stated that he would not consent to a search of the residence by the officers. Yearta then advised Subject #1 that the residence would be secured and a search warrant compiled. During this time, Subject #1 was questioned if anybody else was inside the residence. Subject #1 then stated that nobody else was in the house.
Yearta then had Sergeant Sullivan respond to the scene in order to assist Geralds with securing the residence. During this time, Yearta returned to the Winthrop University Police Department in order to document the incident and complete a search warrant for the residence and any individuals on the property. Afterward, Yearta responded to the City of Rock Hill Law Center and met with a City of Rock Hill Municipal Court Judge about the incident. After speaking with the Judge and detailing what the investigation had already uncovered, Yearta was issued a search warrant.
While Yearta was returning from the City of Rock Hill Law Center, Subject #2 walked up to the residence and told them that he lived there. Subject #2 was then advised that the residence was being secured and that a search warrant was en route to be executed. Subject #2 then took a seat on the front porch with Subject #1. Subsequently, Yearta returned to the residence with the signed off search warrant.
Upon returning, Yearta was advised that another roommate might be asleep inside. Yearta then conducted a sweep of the residence to make sure nobody was left inside. Upon doing so, he located two individuals, Other #1 and Other #2, asleep in the back–left bedroom. Yearta then woke the individuals up and advised them to get dressed and come out onto the front porch. No other individuals were found to be located inside the residence.
While Yearta was conducting a sweep of the residence for individuals, he noted the following items in plain view: in the living room, he observed a tray with marijuana and rolled marijuana cigarettes on it; in the front-right bedroom, he observed a plastic container with marijuana in it; in the front-left bedroom, he observed a plastic baggie containing marijuana and a plastic baggie containing cocaine; and, in the rear-right bedroom, he observed a digital scale with marijuana residue on it.
After completing the sweep of the residence, Yearta advised Geralds to stay on the front porch with the residents, and he advised Sullivan to assist in the search of the residence. Upon re-entering the house, Yearta and Sullivan began searching the living room. Within the living room, officers located the following items during the search: a plastic tray containing loose marijuana on a table, numerous rolled marijuana cigarettes scattered around the area, various rolling papers inside a drawer, various pipes containing marijuana residue inside a drawer and some sheets of marijuana THC dabs inside a drawer.
After searching the living room, Yearta and Sullivan made their way to the front-right bedroom, what was Subject #1’s room. Within Subject #l’s bedroom, officers located a plastic container containing approximately 5.4 grams of marijuana on a footstool; a digital scale with marijuana residue on it on top of the dresser; various drug paraphernalia items to include a grinder, rolling papers and a bong containing marijuana residue inside on top of the dresser; two bags containing approximately 0.9 grams of cocaine inside a drawer; a spoon and rolled up dollar bill with cocaine residue on them inside a drawer; numerous plastic baggies, which were similar in size and shape, commonly utilized in the packaging and selling of illegal narcotics, in the closet; a plastic baggie containing approximately 10 grams of marijuana in a dresser; and, a pipe containing marijuana residue inside a drawer.
After searching Subject #l’s bedroom, Yearta and Sullivan made their way to the front-left bedroom, which was Subject #2’s bedroom. Within Subject #2’s bedroom, officers located a baggie containing approximately 2 grams of cocaine on top of a dresser; a plastic bag containing approximately 49.7 grams of marijuana on top of a dresser; a sheet of marijuana THC dabs weighing approximately 7.5 grams inside a drawer; and, a book bag containing numerous plastic baggies, which were similar in size and shape, commonly utilized in the packaging and selling of illegal narcotics.
After searching Subject #2’s bedroom, Yearta and Sullivan made their way to the rear-left bedroom. Within Other #1’s bedroom, officers located nothing illegal or of evidentiary value.
After searching the bedrooms, Yearta and Sullivan made their way to the kitchen area. Within the kitchen area, officers located several sheets of marijuana THC dabs inside the freezer and numerous items of drug paraphernalia, including bongs with marijuana residue in them.
Due to the amount and type of illegal narcotics located during the execution of the search warrant, Yearta contacted the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit (YCMDEU) and requested assistance from their agents. A short time later, YCMDEU arrived on the scene and assessed the situation and incident. During this time, YCMDEU and Geralds discussed the situation with Subject #1, Subject #2, Other #1 and Other #2. During the course of the investigation, officers requested voluntary permission to search the subject’s bedrooms. The subjects voluntarily consented to a search of their bedrooms.
Afterward, officers conducted another search throughout the residence and bedrooms. Besides some various drug paraphernalia, such as bongs containing marijuana residue and pipes containing marijuana residue, the officers noted numerous wax paper sheets spread throughout the residence that contained the remnants and residue of marijuana THC dabs. Subsequently, all items located within the residence were seized as evidence and transported back to the Winthrop University Police Department by Sullivan in order to be inventoried and placed into evidence for future court proceedings. During this secondary search, Subject #1 and Subject #2 made statements regarding being in possession and owning the various seized, including the illegal narcotics.
Yearta then spoke to the subjects about the incident. Due to the amount and type of items seized, Yearta advised the residents that they would be contacted at a later date in order to come into the Winthrop University Police Department in order to fully discuss the situation and the seized items. Upon returning to the Winthrop University Police Department, Yearta, Sullivan and Geralds photographed various items of evidentiary value and then placed them into evidence for future court proceedings.
