When Boardman police Sgt. Brian Habeger went to Market St. and Midlothian Ave. to back-up a fellow officer who made a traffic stop near 3:30 p.m. on Thurs., Feb. 27, a man approached the sergeant with a tip---the he had witnessed a man in front of a store, Urban Wear, 3890 Hillman Way, making a drug deal.
      The informant described a black male wearing glasses and a Miami Dolphins coat, driving a blue Chrysler 300 with temporary license plates.
      Sgt. Habeger left the traffic stop, radioing Ptl. Brian Cionni to meet him on Hillman Way.
      Habeger said as he pulled into the parking lot of Urban Wear, he observed a blue Chrysler with temporary tags parked in front of the store, with three black males “standing on the sidewalk in front of the car.”
      One of the men wore glasses and a Miami Dolphins jacket, Habeger said.
      Officer Cionni and his canine partner, Eros, arrived; as Habeger approached the man in the Dolphins jacket, identified as Brailin Allen, 24, of 367 Erskine Ave.; while Cionni spoke with the other two men.
      Sgt. Habeger said as he was ‘patting down’ Allen, “his left coat pocket pushed open which allowed me to see several cell phones and a cellophane baggie...”
      Allen was immediately handcuffed and the body search continued. Sgt. Habeger said Allen, who said he is unemployed, had $860 and a key to the Chrysler in his pocket.”
      Sgt. Habeger said Canine Eros conducted a sniff of the Chrysler that displayed “a positive indication for drug odor.”
      A search of the car turned-up 60 tramadol pills...in a pill bottle without a label.
      Sgt. Habeger said police also found a backpack inside the car.
      “The backpack contained five identification cards, three Ohio driver’s licenses and three Visa cards, all with different names,” the sergeant said.
      Officer Habeger said that one of the other two men he first observed when he pulled into the parking lot, identified as William Welch, claimed ownership of the backpack.
      Habeger identified the third man he had seen on the sidewalk, in front of the car, as “Joseph Herns, the owner of Urban Outlet.”
      According to Officer Habeger, a field test on the suspected drugs found on Allen “tested positive for heroin.”
      “The drugs, the money, the cards found in the backpack were placed into evidence,” Officer Habeger said.
      Allen was charged with possession of dangerous drugs, trafficking in drugs and the investigation revealed he had a warrant for failure to show up for a court hearing in Youngstown. He was lodged in the Mahoning County Jail on $5,250 bond.
      Further investigation was assigned to Det. Michael Dado.