New Kensington raid turns up 4 grams of crack cocaine, 78-year-old charged
A raid of a New Kensington home Thursday morning turned up just 4 grams of crack cocaine, but city police said they suspect other illegal drugs were flushed down a toilet before authorities discovered them.
One of three people found inside the home, 78-year-old Leon Cash, faces drug charges in connection with the raid, according to a criminal complaint.
New Kensington police filed one felony and four misdemeanor drug charges against Cash. He was taken to the Westmoreland County jail after failing to post $50,000 bail.
Two women who were also inside the home had not been charged as of Friday.
Authorities executed a search warrant at the home in the 700 block of Seventh Street around 6 a.m.
Police said they found about 4 grams of suspected crack cocaine in the kitchen. Officers suspect that more drugs were flushed because they found a small amount of crack and an empty pill bottle in a bathroom, the complaint said.
The toilet was removed from the floor and searched, but no evidence was found inside its trap, police said in the complaint.
The raid involved police from New Kensington and Lower Burrell, detectives from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office and the county SWAT team.
Cash is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in district court on Feb. 29.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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