BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      Three persons were arrested last week on Tues., Oct. 21 after they were found in a building at 7320 Market St. near 8:00 p.m.
      The owner of the property, identified as Herb Washington, told police that no one had permission to be inside, and that his son had observed two people entering building on Oct. 20, at which time he told a man and a woman to leave.
      When police used a loud speaker to call for anyone inside the building to exit and there was no response, two officers entered the structure through a garage door and said they heard a man, later identified as Michael Hollins, “making threats toward officers positioned outside.”
      As police continued to ask anyone inside to exit, police said that Hollins responded “If you come in here, I’ll shoot you all.”
      Due to the threats, all available Boardman police officers surrounded the building and a detachment of those police entered the building and began to negotiate with the persons inside, who eventually surrendered.
      Taken into custody were Michael Hollins, Jovaughn Lathern and Macie Michelle Opel Dutting.
      After the trio were in custody, police found two guns on a bed in a second floor bedroom.
      Hollins, 39, who said he lived at 7320 Market St. and Lathern, 47, of 537 West Hylda, Youngstown, Oh., were lodged into the Mahoning County Jail on charges of breaking and entering, obstruction and resisting arrest.
      Hollins was additionally charged with intimidation, retaliation and having weapons under a disability (due to a previous felony conviction).
      Dutting, 32, of 233 Reed Ave., Campbell, Oh., was charged with breaking and entering, obstruction and resisting arrest. She requested medical attention, claiming she is pregnant and had stomach pain. Dutting was transported to Mercy Health Boardman for evaluation. She was medically discharged at 4:58 a.m. on Oct. 22 and then lodged in the county jail. Police said she was found to also be wanted on multiple warrants, including for a probation violation and failure to appear,
      Police said they were unsure of how long someone had been living inside the building, describing the interior as in bad shape and likely with no running water as a second floor toilet was filled with what appeared to be human excrement.
      Washington told police his brother-in-law was the last “authorized” occupant of the building and the brother-in-law moved out in Nov., 2024.
      Court records show that Hollins was issued a traffic citation in June, 2024 and is address is listed as 7320 Market St.
      Records of the Boardman Police Department show on Jan. 22, 2019, that 7320 Market St. was raided by the agency’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit after a search warrant was granted by Judge Joseph Houser.
      Two men, identified as Miguel Gibbs, 62, who told police his address was 7320 Market St., and Rufus Barnett, 28, who said he resided at 7529 Glenwood Ave.,were found inside.
      When the NEU first entered the building, Det. John Gocala said that Gibbs came down a stairway from an upstairs apartment and told police no one else was inside.
      Then “officers again asked if there was anyone upstairs to come down. Rufus Barnett then called down to officers that he was upstairs,” Det. Gocala said, adding when Barnett appeared police “observed white powder on the hood and shoulder of Barnett’s clothing.” Police said the powder substance was “suspected fentynal.”
      When police were searching the upstairs, a large amount of ‘powder’ was found in the bottom of a toilet bowls, and as well, the powdery substance was scattered around the inside and outside of the toilet bowl.
      “It appeared someone tried to flush the powder down the toilet,” Officer Gocala said.
      Also in the upstairs of the building police described a “drug packaging area.”
      Det. Gocala said the powdering substance found in the toilet, as well as around it, tested positive for fentynal.
      In addition, police found a stolen handgun in the building.
      “Hollins and Gibbs stated they had no knowledge of anything inside the residence,” Officer Gocala said.
      Gibbs and Barnett were both arrested. Their court cases lingered in the court system for more than a year.
      On Nov. 9, 2020, Gibbs entered guilty pleas to possession of a fentynal-related compound, permitting drug abuse, obstructing justice and possession of drug paraphernalia.
      Judge Anthony D’Apolito placed Gibbs under a two-year community control sanction supervised by the Adult Parole Authority. As well, Gibbs was ordered to attend at least two Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous meetings a week and submit to random drug and alcohol tests.
      On Apr. 7, 2022 Parole Officer Patrick Sylvester recommended that Gibbs be discharged from supervision and restored to all civil rights.
      Judge D’Apolito granted the request.
      Following a jury trial, Barnett was found guilty on Oct. 8, 2020 of felony-1 possession of a fentynal-related compound (that included 870 grams of sludge/fentynal found in the toilet) as well as tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia.
      During the trial, Assistant County Prosecutor said the toilet sludge was saved and tested by the state Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the weight of the sludge and fentanyl came to 870 grams.
      Maxim said the entire mixture was determined to be a “fentanyl-related compound” because it is not uncommon for dealers to mix their drugs with anything, including urine.
      Jurors began deliberating in the case about 4:15 p.m. and reached their verdicts about 7 p.m.
      At some point after 5 p.m., Barnett went outside the courthouse to have a cigarette and never came back.
      He remains at large and hasn’t been seen since that time.