Caught: dope in the console
By Andrea Gregory

     Howard Taylor said nothing to police after they spotted three bags of heroin in the center console of his car. But by the time police spotted the drugs, it only confirmed their earlier suspicions.  There was enough evidence to arrest Howard, 41, of Morrison Avenue.
     The alleged crime went down on Saturday, Nov. 5 on Warwick Street. As graffiti was being removed from a building near the railroad tracks, a uniform officer came up on two males, standing close to each other just beyond the brush of a tail off Warwick Street.
     Police recognized the man beside Howard. He had been arrested in the past and had a history of drug offenses.
     Howard allegedly began to book it toward his car as police approached.
    ‚ÄúAlthough I did not witness a hand-to-hand transfer, I believed that a drug transaction had just taken place,‚Äù said Sgt. Steven Carrabino in the police report. ‚ÄúThe area where the two men were meeting is isolated. Warwick Street is a one-way that leads to Clyde Street. There were no other cars parked where Mr. Taylor left his car.‚Äù
    According to the police report Taylor‚Äôs eyes were ‚Äúindicative of someone under the influence of a narcotic.‚Äù
   ‚ÄúI asked him what medications he had consumed. He told me that he had taken methadone. I asked him how much, and he told me that he had taken 90 milligrams. Mr. Taylor appeared impaired. His speech and reactions were slow,‚Äù according Carrabino.
   Police found $100 in the pocket of Howard‚Äôs companion, and he was released. Howard, allegedly in possession of dope was arrested and his car was towed.