Friday, Jun. 05, 2009

Wrong kind of rock candy: Crack cocaine, guns found in raid on Washington Park confectionery

WASHINGTON PARK -- Police and the U.S. Marshals Service raided a confectionery Thursday morning that appeared to be selling the wrong kind of rock candy.

Officers found 20 to 30 rocks of what appeared to be crack cocaine as well as a green leafy substance that police believe is marijuana, bootleg DVDs and CDs, and two loaded guns at the T&M Confectionery, 5504 Forest Blvd., said Washington Park Police Detective Kim McAfee.

The drugs will have to be sent to a crime lab for analysis, McAfee said.

The business is owned by Lamarr Taylor, McAfee said. Taylor built the small building that housed his confectionery store from the ground up, McAfee said.

Taylor had been operating at the Forest Blvd. location for five years. The owner and a 19-year-old male, who had marijuana in his pocket, were taken into custody, McAfee said.

The raid started before 10 a.m. Thursday at the shop and neighboring car wash. The shop's sign advertised $2 CDs and $10 car washes. It had no village business permit and the village put a large orange sign on the front window declaring it unfit for occupancy.

On the side of a building, a baby pit bull dog was locked in by some wood boards that were braced by a couch on one side and a plastic barrel loaded with empty cans on the other side.

McAfee said the St. Clair County Animal Control woud pick the dog up.

Washington Park police had received a previous complaint about the confectionery and turned that complaint over to the St. Clair County Sheriff's Drug Tactical Unit.

Because the confectionery is next to a church and across from Avant Elementary School, charges could carry harsher penalties.